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. |
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
The District government will not seek to enforce the city’s stun-gun ban against three residents who challenged the ...
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Appeals court judges had tough questions on Tuesday for the District’s lawyers about strict limits the city places ...
Monday, September 19, 2016
It’s been two years since a federal court struck down the District’s ban on carrying handguns in public, ...
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Nearly a decade after the Supreme Court struck down the District’s long-standing ban on handguns, the city is ...
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier leaves her post in two weeks with high popularity and crime down ...
Friday, August 5, 2016
The travel guide published by the Washington, D.C., official convention and sports authority has refused to run ads ...
Friday, June 24, 2016
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser joined Lanier, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and other officials are calling for ...
Friday, June 17, 2016
Gun control proponents are nothing if not predictable, and they wasted no time exploiting the terrorist attack in ...
Friday, June 3, 2016
Washington, D.C. has once again lapsed into its usual pattern of denying Second Amendment rights with a federal ...
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily stayed a recent ruling by a lower court that the District ...