PURCHASE

Rifles and Shotguns

A person may buy or sell a firearm only from or to a 

licensed dealer in the District. Delivery cannot be made 

until the registration certificate for the firearm is approved 

by the Metropolitan Police Dept. Ammunition may be 

bought only for the caliber or gauge of a firearm registered 

to the buyer.

Handguns

The sale of handguns in the District is prohibited.

POSSESSION

Rifles and Shotguns

All rifles and shotguns must be registered with the 

Metropolitan Police. To obtain a registration certificate, the 

applicant must be 21 years old (or be over 18 and have a 

liability statement signed by his guardian), pass a vision test 

or have a valid D.C. driver’s license, and not be:

• convicted of a crime of violence or a weapons 

offense,

• under indictment for a crime of violence,

• convicted of a narcotics or an assault or battery 

charge within the last five years,

• acquitted of a crime by reason of insanity or 

adjudicated an alcoholic within the past five years,

• committed to a mental hospital within the past five 

years,

• suffering from a physical defect which might render 

his possession of a gun unsafe,

• found negligent in any firearm mishap,

• no firearm may be acquired unless an application is 

first filed with the Metropolitan Police Department 

and a registration certificate issued.

Any person bringing a rifle or shotgun into the District 

must “immediately” notify the Identification and Records 

Division. An application for registration must be filed within 

48 hours after such notification.

Handguns

No handgun can be legally possessed in the District unless 

it is registered. All handguns registered in the District prior 

to Sept. 24, 1976, were required to have been reregistered 

by Feb. 5, 1977. After that date, no more handguns could 

be registered.

Thus, it is unlawful to possess, acquire, or bring into 

D.C. any handgun which was not registered as of Feb. 5, 

1977.

CARRY

Carrying a handgun in the District is prohibited. All 

firearms are to be kept at one’s home or place of business.

All firearms must be unloaded and disassembled or 

locked with a trigger lock except when kept at a registrant’s 

place of business or while being used for lawful “recreational” 

purposes. A D.C. license to carry a pistol is needed for 

one’s home or business and the pistol must also have been 

registered prior to September 24, 1976.

Self-defense in one’s home with a firearm is therefore 

legally precluded.

NONRESIDENTS

Nonresidents are prohibited (subject to the recreational 

activity exception) from carrying or possessing a firearm 

while traveling through the District unless the gun has been 

registered with the Metropolitan Police.

NOTE: As a practical matter, the police have advised that 

they will not interfere with nonresidents passing through 

the District with a firearm, providing the person does not 

stop, and the firearm is unloaded, securely wrapped and 

carried in the trunk.

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY EXCEPTION

Residents and nonresidents of the District may possess 

firearms while going to or from and while engaged in lawful 

recreational firearms related activity, provided that their

firearms are legally possessed in their place of residence. In 

addition, the person should be able to “exhibit proof” that 

he is on his way to such activity and must transport the 

firearm “unloaded, securely wrapped and carried in open 

view.”

NOTE: A District resident must ensure that his firearms are 

registered with the police and he may not borrow, loan, give 

or rent another person’s firearms.

ANTIQUES AND REPLICAS

Antiques and replica firearms are exempt from 

the registration requirement. Also exempt from the 

registration and license to carry requirement are antique 

pistols unsuitable for use as firearms.

NOTE: The reader should be aware that there is a problem 

with conflicting definitions of replicas. The old Code only 

exempted pistols “unsuitable for use” from the statutory 

restrictions. The D.C. police have advised that they are not 

registering replicas, and a loaded operational replica will be 

considered a “lethal weapon” and cannot be possessed in 

that condition.

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.

It is unlawful to possess any firearm, including an 

imitation handgun, with intent to use it unlawfully against 

another.

It is unlawful to change, alter, remove or obliterate the 

maker’s name, manufacturer’s number or other mark of 

identification on any handgun. Possession of a handgun 

with an altered mark shall create a legal presumption that 

the possessor committed the offense.

It is unlawful to carry a gun within 1000 feet of a public 

or private day care center, elementary school, vocational 

school, secondary school, college, junior college, or 

university, or any public swimming pool, playground, video 

arcade, or youth center, or an event sponsored by any of the 

above entities.