District of Columbia Profile
Gun Laws Overview
RIFLES & SHOTGUNS | HANDGUNS | |
---|---|---|
Permit to Purchase | No | No |
Registration of Firearms | Yes | Yes |
Licensing of Owners | No | No |
Permit to Carry | Not Available | Yes |
The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. Additionally, several aspects of the District's firearm laws are subject to ongoing litigation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL.
|
STATE STATUS | |
---|---|
Right To Carry Laws | Shall Issue |
Right To Carry Reciprocity and Recognition | None |
Right to Carry in Restaurants | Complete Ban |
Right to Carry Confidentiality | No Provisions |
Castle Doctrine | No Law |
Right to Keep & Bear Arms State Constitutional Provisions | No Provisions |
No-Net Loss | No Legislation |
The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL. |
Laws on Purchase, Possession and Carrying of Firearms
Antiques and Replicas
Antique firearms, and replicas of antique firearms, are exempt from the registration requirement. |
Carry
Carrying a handgun, rifle, or shotgun in the District is prohibited, except that a person holding a valid registration for a firearm may carry it in his home or place of business, while it is being used for lawful recreational purposes, and while being being transported for a lawful purpose in accordance with District or federal statute. The District's law regarding carrying a concealed handgun has recently changed. Here is what the MPD currently says regarding applications for a Concealed Pistol License: Pursuant to the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Wrenn v. District of Columbia and Grace v. District of Columbia, applicants for a license to carry a concealed handgun in the District of Columbia no longer need to provide a good reason for carrying a handgun. All other suitability and training requirements as described in the regulations and application must still be met. All forms and information sheets will be updated shortly. In the meantime, if there is a reference to providing a good reason, please disregard. If your application for a carry license has been previously denied because of a failure to provide a good reason, you may reapply for a license to carry. You will not be charged a fee for this application. Please contact the Firearms Registration Section at (202) 727-4275 with any questions. |
Miscellaneous
Any person who commits a crime of violence “when armed with or having readily available any pistol or other firearm (or imitation thereof)” shall, in addition to the sentence received for the crime itself, also receive an additional sentence. |
Nonresidents
A nonresident participating in any lawful recreational firearm-related activity in the District, or on his/her way to or from such activity in another jurisdiction, may possess a firearm if the firearm is unloaded and, if transported in a vehicle, is not readily accessible or directly accessible from the passenger compartment, or, if there is no compartment separate from the driver’s compartment, is in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. If not transported in a vehicle, the firearm must be unloaded, inside a locked contained, and separate from ammunition. The person should be able to “exhibit proof” that he is on his way to or from such activity, and that his/her possession of the firearm is lawful in the jurisdiction in which he/she resides.
MORE |
Possession
All firearms must be registered with the MPD. To obtain a registration certificate, the applicant must be 21 years old (or be over 18 and have a notarized permission and liability statement signed by his parent or guardian), take an online course, and pass a firearm safety test. MORE |
Purchase
A person may buy a firearm only from, or sell only to, a licensed dealer in the District. Delivery cannot be made until the registration certificate for the firearm is approved by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Ammunition may be bought only for the caliber or gauge of a firearm registered to the buyer. |
Thursday, October 16, 2014
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier is scheduled to testify at a hearing on a bill that would allow ...
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Tomorrow, October 16, at 10:30 a.m., the DC City Council will hold a public hearing to consider Bill 20-930, the “License to ...
Monday, October 13, 2014
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) on Friday signed into law emergency legislation allowing residents who are properly ...
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
What if the citizens of the Disrict of Columbia, and visitors to the District, could exercise their Second ...
Friday, September 26, 2014
On Tuesday, the D.C. City Council unanimously passed an emergency bill that created a highly-restrictive “may-issue” concealed carry ...
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
The D.C. Council voted Tuesday to grant residents and visitors the ability to carry concealed firearms in public, ...
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
The D.C. Council is poised to pass legislation Tuesday allowing the carrying of concealed firearms in public, but ...
Friday, September 19, 2014
In response to the District’s ban on carrying handguns being declared unconstitutional in July, this week the D.C. Council released ...
Friday, September 19, 2014
The terrorists of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, prey on weakness, like Islamic terrorists ...
Thursday, September 18, 2014
D.C. gun owners could begin applying to carry concealed weapons within weeks under emergency legislation announced Wednesday in ...