Kimber45acp
member
I'm not sure there's actually even a requirement to register your gun in D.C. Why? Well I was poking around the D.C. police's website to find information about that amnesty for unregistered guns which they had to do after Heller. Well, as I'm reading I find this:
Now obviously, a gun is mostly worthless without ammo, but it appears that they quietly have no prohibition against possession of an unregistered gun.
I would still like to know what happened to the amnesty for unregistered handguns already in the district. I think it quietly continues.
This threat is legally impossible and they know it:
http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1237,q,566975.asp
FURTHERMORE, if you click on the link "firearms eligible for registration," it says this:
This is a doozie because either they're admitting that you may legally possess an unregistered firearm in the District, OR they are encouraging you to commit a crime:
Since I got all of those quotes from the "Firearm Registration:
Important Things to Remember" page, you would think they would say something like "You are legally required to register any and all firearms in your possession or you will be prosecuted."
Another interesting item that is NOT on the "important things to remember" page, is something telling people what to do if they have a firearm that cannot be registered (after all, they go to considerable effort to list every model of gun that CAN be registered). They don't tell you to destroy it or remove it from the district or even surrender it.
They go out of their way to say that possession of AMMO for an unregistered firearm is illegal, but nowhere do they say the same thing for firearms. Furthermore, they TELL you to bring your unregistered gun to the Firearms Registration Section (FRS). There is no way you could legally do that unless it was legal to possess an unregistered firearm. If there was any danger of prosecution for possession of an unregistered firearm, they couldn't tell you to bring it to the "Firearms Registration Section (FRS)," and you could not legally do it without incriminating yourself if possession of an unregistered firearm by itself was illegal.Possession of ammunition for an unregistered firearm is prohibited in the District of Columbia, and you may be subject to criminal charges.
Now obviously, a gun is mostly worthless without ammo, but it appears that they quietly have no prohibition against possession of an unregistered gun.
I would still like to know what happened to the amnesty for unregistered handguns already in the district. I think it quietly continues.
This threat is legally impossible and they know it:
...because they just admitted on the SAME WEBPAGE that you are allowed to transport your unregistered weapon to the "FRS." Unless you are legally prohibited from doing anything but a direct route to the "FRS," you may legally possess an unregistered weapon in D.C.If you are stopped by any police agency in the District of Columbia with a firearm in your possession, you must immediately produce the registration certificate
http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1237,q,566975.asp
FURTHERMORE, if you click on the link "firearms eligible for registration," it says this:
I could not find a single statement anywhere on their website that says you MUST register your firearm(s). It's easy to assume otherwise, but instead of assuming, I prefer to read the language they are using. I think this is why they went out of their way to ban possession of ammo WITH you unregistered firearm.In general, rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and handguns MAY be registered in the District of Columbia.
This is a doozie because either they're admitting that you may legally possess an unregistered firearm in the District, OR they are encouraging you to commit a crime:
How can you take it to the "Firearms Registration Section" (FRS) without committing a crime UNLESS it's not illegal to merely possess it? Will they just be "nice" by not arresting you for having an unregistered weapon, or is it because they CAN'T legally arrest you?If, for any reason, a gun dealer has released a firearm or firearms to you before 10 days have passed or without an approved registration certificate, you must IMMEDIATELY bring the firearm(s) to FRS.
Since I got all of those quotes from the "Firearm Registration:
Important Things to Remember" page, you would think they would say something like "You are legally required to register any and all firearms in your possession or you will be prosecuted."
Another interesting item that is NOT on the "important things to remember" page, is something telling people what to do if they have a firearm that cannot be registered (after all, they go to considerable effort to list every model of gun that CAN be registered). They don't tell you to destroy it or remove it from the district or even surrender it.
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