Washington,D.C. Gun Ownership to Go Through One Man

[Bubbles]

I think all six could probably be compelled to deal with the public if they (the dealers) have the right class license.

Would be enforced (or not) by the ATF.

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm... you are aware that one of those FFL's is held by Josh Sugarmann, President of the Violence Policy Center, at the VPC's address? And that FFL was renewed this past May despite multiple contacts from members of the public questioning just how "in the business" Mr. Sugarmann is?

AFAIK the other FFL's are for people who use prop guns in theater productions, based on the names of the dealers.

 

[Blues Brother]

SOunds like a monopoly to me. and how did this guy land this gig?

$125 for a transfer. NO inventory. no overhead. must be nice.

 

[zxcvbob]

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm... you are aware that one of those FFL's is held by Josh Sugarmann, President of the Violence Policy Center, at the VPC's address?

I mentioned him in post #4.

And that FFL was renewed this past May despite multiple contacts from members of the public questioning just how "in the business" Mr. Sugarmann is?

That's why I said "(or not)"

 

[mgkdrgn]

"$125 for a transfer. NO inventory. no overhead. must be nice."

He isn't going to have any "inventory", but I assure you he has a pile of "overhead" with rental of office space in DC, business license, insurance, various necessary payoffs, legal fees .... the list goes on and on.

 

[MAKster]

This guy acts like he is doing some big favor by only charging $125 for 10 minutes of work. Hopefully once the permanent D.C. laws are enacted more FFLs will set up shop. Nobody wants to move forward until they know the ground rules. The idea that a gun store in D.C. would be under constant seige from criminals is looney. There are plenty of cities with much higher crime rates that have gun shops.

 

[Moo 2 Drvr]

Washington, DC Gun Ownership

The one gun restriction only applies to hand guns. My understanding is that this restriction will be lifted when the permanment law is submitted in October.

There is no restriction on the number of long guns that a resident may register. I have registered more than a few during my twenty plus years living here in the PRDC.

 

[Moo 2 Drvr]

Washington, DC Gun Ownership

The one gun restriction only applies to hand guns. My understanding is that this restriction will be lifted when the permanent law is submitted in October.

There is no restriction on the number of long guns that a resident may register. I have registered more than a few during my twenty plus years living here in the PRDC.

 

[KBintheSLC]

Is it just me, or are the DC liberals frighteningly psychotic? These must be some real Chuck Manson-grade hippies.

Scary how they continue to jerk everyone off despite the SCOTUS ruling.

The idea that a gun store in D.C. would be under constant seige from criminals is looney.

I agree... gun shops are hard targets, and are seldom targeted for attacks. Anyway, criminals can get illegal guns much easier than they can rob a gun shop.

 

[mgkdrgn]

"This guy acts like he is doing some big favor by only charging $125 for 10 minutes of work."

Well, maybe that is because he is?

In the YEARS he has had an FFL he has =never= done business with the general public before. NONE of the other FFL holders in DC =will= do business with the general public.

It might be 10 minutes of paper work, but its the monthly rent on the space, insurance, surety bonds, business license, taxes, etc etc etc... NONE of that stuff is free. Not to mention the first time he gets sued (oh ya, it's gonna happen, you can count on it) he's gonna get wiped out financially.

Oh, and the "other gun stores" in DC? Don't hold your breath. The city council has made it abundantly clear that isn't going to happen. Ever.

 

[Tom Servo]

And that FFL was renewed this past May despite multiple contacts from members of the public questioning just how "in the business" Mr. Sugarmann is?

His FFL: 1-54-000-01-8C-00725, for the curious. It's actually in Virginia, so it couldn't be used for handguns in DC in any case.

(I spoke to the BATFE regarding this in March, and I was informed that his records hadn't been checked since 02/04. It was renewed in March, with no review.)

As for the current situation, DC Code Ann. §§ 7-2502.01-7-2506.01 bans possession, sale, transfer, manufacture, purchase or repair of handguns. Ammunition sales are also illegal. To the best of my knowledge, only the ban on possession of handguns was stricken. The rest still sticks.

 

[Bubbles]

His FFL: 1-54-000-01-8C-00725, for the curious. It's actually in Virginia, so it couldn't be used for handguns in DC in any case.

That FFL # comes back to him at 1730 Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite #1014, Washington DC, 20036, just a few blocks southeast of Dupont Circle. Mapquest shows it inside the DC city limits, not in VA. Coincidentally enough, that is the VPC's mailing address. Go figure...

And yeah, I really don't see him doing transfers.

 

[Bufford t. Justice]

That's ridiculous. The DC bereaucrats are making a mockery of our Supreme court and need to be chastised. Or recalled. Personally, I'd just move.

 

[bogie]

Oh man, if I had a few extra bucks right now, I'd be suing to get an FFL in Washington...

Betcha there's a good market there for high dollar wheelguns too...

 

[MAKster]

The bill that Congress will vote on later this month will allow D.C. residents to buy handguns in Virginia and Maryland. I'm sure this guy will change his tune pretty darn quick if that happens and he looses his monopoly!

 

[mbt2001]

http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/foia/divisionmanual/ch2.htm#a1

SHERMAN ANTITRUST ACT, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1-7
§ 1 Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1

Trusts, etc., in restraint of trade illegal; penalty

Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal. Every person who shall make any contract or engage in any combination or conspiracy hereby declared to be illegal shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by fine not exceeding $10,000,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, $350,000, or by imprisonment not exceeding three years, or by both said punishments, in the discretion of the court.

Food for thought...

Once Obama is in office, everything will be better...

 

[Speedo66]

$125 to enter a few words & numbers in and out in a book. How long to complete, five minutes? That works out to $1500 an hour. I'd say that's exorbitant.

You say no profit from gun sales? It also means no brick & mortar store, no rent, no inventory costs. Sounds good to me!

No semi-autos? Do the federal peace officers carry them? But a citizen cannot? No trust in the heart of the government.

 

[zxcvbob]

$125 to enter a few words & numbers in and out in a book. How long to complete, five minutes? That works out to $1500 an hour. I'd say that's exorbitant.

Have you looked at all the B.S. the DC police want the FFL to go through?

 

[brighamr]

In the YEARS he has had an FFL he has =never= done business with the general public before. NONE of the other FFL holders in DC =will= do business with the general public.

So if I'm the only guy with a water hose and somebody's house catches on fire... I should charge them $150 for every 10 minutes I spray the fire? Keep in mind, in the YEARS I have owned my hose I have NEVER done business with anyone.

This monopoly guy doesn't have to rent a shop, or buy inventory, or deal with any of the other physical aspects of gun stores across the nation.

The city council has made it abundantly clear that isn't going to happen. Ever.

We'll never get CCW permits in 35+ states. ever.
The 94 AWB wont be allowed to go under. ever.
We'll never implement castle doctrine. ever.
We'll never win the heller case. ever.

That type of attitude is exactly what gun grabbers want to see. It's called defeatism.

 

[John H]

A rephrasing may be in order.

Correct me if I'm wrong, mgkdrgn, but what you mean is that the city council will never allow it if they can avoid doing so, yes?

If that's the case, we have to make it impossible for them to avoid it.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Brighamr / JohnH

"Quote:
In the YEARS he has had an FFL he has =never= done business with the general public before. NONE of the other FFL holders in DC =will= do business with the general public.
So if I'm the only guy with a water hose and somebody's house catches on fire... I should charge them $150 for every 10 minutes I spray the fire? Keep in mind, in the YEARS I have owned my hose I have NEVER done business with anyone.

This monopoly guy doesn't have to rent a shop, or buy inventory, or deal with any of the other physical aspects of gun stores across the nation."

1) This fellow would be -very- happy to go back to just doing his FFL thing for security companies and LEO's, and never deal with the general public. Would that make you happier when there were NO FFL's in DC for the general public?

2) Contrary to your understanding of how being an FFL works, he DOES have to have an office ("premises as per the BATF), he DOES have to have a local business license, and he DOES have to have the approval of the local authorities. THAT AIN'T EASY anywhere, it's a NIGHTMARE in DC. It only too him 9 MONTHS to find a location they would approve after he lost his lease on his last location.

To get the business license in DC he MUST have an office in a location zoned for that business. He can not operate out of his house in DC. That alone is going to run him $1500 - $2000 a month.

He's going to have to have a safe for storage, alarm system, insurance, phone lines, yadda yadda yadda. The ONLY thing he won't have that a gun store would have is =purchased= inventory. Other than that, all his costs are exactly the same.

:banghead:

As for gun stores in DC ... not until the entire city council (AND most of the population) of DC is rotated out for new. THAT ain't gonna happen any time soon. Remember, DC is the city that STILL elects Marion "Bitch Set Me UP!" Barry to public office every single time he runs. SCOTUS isn't going to get into the business of resolving zoning and business license disputes in DC.

It also wouldn't surprise me if you couldn't find any source of business insurance for a gun store in DC, at any price. Place would have to be built like Fort Knox for one, and the first time any gun they sell is fired inside the district they can count on getting sued. (Remember, this is the city where A JUDGE sued a dry cleaners for $65 MILLION for loosing his pants. He lost the case, but put the dry cleaners out of business in the process).

 

[Brett Bellmore]

He's going to have to have a safe for storage, alarm system, insurance, phone lines, yadda yadda yadda. The ONLY thing he won't have that a gun store would have is =purchased= inventory. Other than that, all his costs are exactly the same.

And already covered by his other work. The new work for gun transfers carries vanishingly small marginal costs, on top of the costs he has already incurred for his corporate customers.

No, it's fair enough for him to amortize those expenses across all his customers, no reason the private citizens shouldn't have to pay their share of them, but what we're looking at here IS monopolistic pricing, make no mistake.

 

[mgkdrgn]

And the reason you think his transfer fees are any different for anyone else would be?

 

[novaDAK]

The bill that Congress will vote on later this month will allow D.C. residents to buy handguns in Virginia and Maryland. I'm sure this guy will change his tune pretty darn quick if that happens and he looses his monopoly!

I'm sure this has to violate some existing law...if people from out of state can buy handguns from other states without having an FFL transfer, it should apply to all 50 states.

 

[zxcvbob]

I'm sure this has to violate some existing law...

Congress makes the laws. They can make a different law whenever they see fit. The courts can settle any ambiguities.

if people from out of state can buy handguns from other states without having an FFL transfer, it should apply to all 50 states.

The residents of D.C. are not from any state. (Don't begrudge them this, we may can use it later as leverage to get the law changed for anyone to be able to buy a handgun in an adjoining state.)

 

[novaDAK]

The residents of D.C. are not from any state.

Yes this is true. But, can someone else from a non-US state come to another state they are not a resident of and buy a handgun without an FFL transfer? Can a puerto rican take his boat over to Florida and buy a handgun without an FFL transfer? This is not equality under the law.