17 December 2009

Just curious

I was curious about how one registers a firearm in Washington, DC post-Heller. The Metropolitan Police has an online brochure and a website.

How Do I Register a Firearm in the District?
To register a fiream, residents must report to the Firearms Registration Section of the Metropolitan Police Department, located at 300 Indiana Avenue, NW. The application process may take up to 14 days. The cost for registering each firearm is $13, plus $35 to process fingerprints and $12 for test-firing the weapon.
Applicants must:
--Be 21 years of age
--Complete a firearms application
--Bring proof of residency (e.g., D.C. Driver’s License)
--Bring two (2) passport-sized front facing photos
--Be fingerprinted
--Pass a 20-question multiple choice test
--Complete a notarized firearms eligibility statement

And
WHAT TYPES OF FIREARMS CAN I REGISTER?
Shotguns, rifles, and handguns — which includes revolvers and semi-automatic handguns with a maximum capacity of 10 rounds. However, a shotgun barrel cannot be less than 20 inches in length, and a rifle barrel cannot be less than 16 inches in length and must have a total overall length of 26 inches or more.
WHAT TYPES OF THINGS WOULD CAUSE ME TO BE DISQUALIFIED FROM BEING ABLE TO REGISTER A FIREARM?
To qualify for registration of a firearm in the District of Columbia, you must meet all of the following criteria. You:
1. Must not stand convicted of a crime of violence, or have any prior weapons offenses.
2. Must not be under indictment for a crime of violence or weapons offense.
3. Must not stand convicted within the past five years for a narcotics or dangerous drug offense, threats to do bodily harm or for assault.
4. Must not have been acquitted of any criminal charge by reason of insanity or adjudicated as a chronic alcoholic by any court within the past five years.
5. Must not have been voluntarily or involuntarily committed to any mental hospital or institution within the past five years.
6. Must not suffer from a physical defect which would make it unsafe for you to possess and use a firearm safely and responsibly.
7. Must not be found negligent in any firearm mishap causing death or injury to another human being.
8. Must not be convicted of any felony, or prostitution-related offense.


BTW, DC uses the 26 USC 5845 definition of a Machine gun:
Machine guns, defined as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.
(D.C. Official Code § 7-2501.01(10))

then they cover their asses with this cannot be registered:
(IV) A semiautomatic, rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:
(aa) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;
(bb) A thumbhole stock;
(cc) A folding or telescoping stock;
(dd) A grenade launcher or flare launcher;
(ee) A flash suppressor; or
(ff) A forward pistol grip;


Somehow they missed bayonet lug in this list.

Well,someone agrees with me!