Guns in DC
So, how does one lawfully get guns into DC? Even after Heller takes effect, it’s a tough issue due to zoning:
Washington has no federally licensed gun stores, so nowhere in the city can residents buy a handgun legally.
Not true, really. There is one licensed firearms dealer in the city. One Josh Sugarmann of the anti-gun shill group the Violence Policy Center.
They can be reached at:
Violence Policy Center
1730 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Suite 1014
Washington, DC 20036
phone (202) 822 8200
Ask them what they’re charging for transfers. If they say they don’t do them, remind them that, thanks in part to their kind’s lobbying efforts, it is typically viewed a violation of federal law to hold an FFL and not be in the business of dealing firearms.
Update: another suggestion is to get a C&R.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Heller, et. al. should be hitting them up for internet sales a.s.a.p. — the irony is delicious.
Maybe some enterprising gun shops in neighboring VA will quickly set up a storefront in DC, though it would be a risky venture until it becomes clear exactly how the District is going to respond legally to the rebuke from SCOTUS.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
If I lived there, I would get the 03 FFL right away. Jack.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
If I was living in DC I would:
1) get an FFL
2) post their availability on THR, Firing Line, GlockTalk, and arfcom.
3) profit!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Dam You! You owe me a new keyboard! I spit up my coffee Loling when I read you comments on the VPC FFL! I forgot about that!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
By the way: If you’re going to request the C&R paperwork, use the online form request page at the ATF web-site. And don’t forget to request Fingerprint cards as well.
“http://www.atf.gov/dcof/index.htm”
I tried calling the phone number, and it was like talking to a brick wall.
June 27th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
my C&R app didnt require fingerprints…
June 27th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I STILL love “Violence Policy Center” as the name for a gun shop!
June 27th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
The C&R is a good idea. Is the price of a good CZ52 going to go up now?
June 27th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
I personally don’t expect to see any gunshops open in D.C. any time soon. Fenty and the city council are issuing permits because SCOTUS tells them that they have to. But they have already stated that they intend to make it as difficult as possible. SCOTUS never told them that they had to issue a business license to a gun dealer. I have a feeling that those may be as rare as unicorns and hen’s teeth.
June 28th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Roland, you’re right about the D.C. gun-nazis. I’m just thinking out loud about any policy that amounts to a de-facto ban being prohibited under the ruling. Of course, the question of interstate transfers of pistols is kinda arguable too, given that D.C. is not a state.
Still a big can o’ worms, unfortunately.
June 28th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Unfortunately, come this time next year, as the MSM looks at this decision in retrospect, they will be reporting that very few permits have actually been issued. And the left will spin that to mean that nobody really wanted a gun anyway, so what was all of the fuss about?
June 29th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
It’s legal, in Federal terms, to buy a black-powder replica handgun via mail order. It’s also legal to buy a centerfire conversion cylinder for the same, via mail order. Bingo–instant .45lc or .38spl or whatever-it-is caliber revolver, albeit single action only. Any idea how much any of the above would be legal in DC?