RSS FeedAnd We Thought Getting Married In DC Was Hard
What feels like forever ago we posted about our experiences with the bureaucratic nightmare of getting married in DC. DC takes that same approach to gun ownership. Now we know this can be a touchy subject, so please understand this is no NRA sponsored rant. We didn’t have a problem with the handgun ban, if a majority of DC residents wanted the (now lifted) handgun ban in place that was fine with us. We also support reasonable regulations to ensure that guns only wind up in responsible hands. But even when the handgun ban was in place you could purchase and register a rifle, which is the subject of this post.
The fact is we don’t want a handgun, and we don’t want a gun for protection purposes. But a lever action rifle has been calling our names ever since we were a kid and watched our first Western. Now that we’re older and wiser, we know we don’t really want a Winchester 73; but those 22 caliber repeating rifles sure look like they’d be fun to shoot.
Once we decided we were seriously interested in pursuing a rifle purchase, we checked with the MPD to see what we had to do to get the gun. The initial steps are pretty straightforward: Get an application from MPD, take it to the firearms dealer, pick out a gun, and have the dealer fill out the form. The passport photo requirements, fingerprinting, and background check (takes up to 2 weeks) were in line with what we expected. The part that seems excessive, and designed to keep people from ever actually registering a gun, is the following:
Proof that you have met the minimum training requirement of four hours of classroom instruction and one hour of range instruction conducted by a state-certified or certified military firearms instructor.
4 hours of classroom instruction? To go target shooing with a 22 caliber rifle we have to sit through (and pay for) 4 hours of classroom instruction? Again for a handgun we support stronger requirements, but this is a squirrel hunting rifle at best. This class isn’t taught or offered by the MPD, you have to pay a 3rd party to give you the 4 hour class and then the (completely reasonable) 1 hour shooting range session. If MPD offered these classes that would help make this requirement more palatable, but clearly they are trying to make the processes as difficult as possible. There is also a 20 question written test (you have to get 15 right) and numerous fees to pay, but again those all seem like the fairly reasonable requirements.
The gun registration process could have been reasonably difficult without that 4 hour classroom requirement. “Reasonably difficult” seems like the best approach to gun registration and ownership. Fingerprinting, background checks, written test, waiting period; those are all perfectly reasonable requirements. But they lose us at the classroom requirement. We called a few of the names the MPD provides but couldn’t get a quote because of the three we tried none offered the training class. We called a metro area gun store who only knew of one trainer in the area and they were booked up for months.
That means at this time only those who shoot on a regular basis will bother to jump through the hoops. The rest of us who want to go target shooting every-so-often will probably be better off renting a gun at a shooting range instead. That’s probably the way the DC Government wants it; perhaps that’s the way the majority of DC residents prefer it too.
(The image on this post was altered in accordance with the copyright permissions from Wikimedia Commons)
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Comments
Anon… Were you captain of your debate team?
I understand guns are unpopular with a (large?) portion of the population. But they’re either legal or they’re not. Right now they’re legal (and the Supreme Court says constitutionally protected), and if that’s the case they shouldn’t be next to impossible to get. Reasonably difficult, yes. Impossible, no.
Do we really think it’s a problem to ask that people know how to operate a gun before owning one? Is a gun less dangerous, both to the operator and to others, than a car (for which we require proof of knowledge on how to oeprate it before being allowed to legally operate it)? I’m fairly certain most gun accidents are caused by user error. Requiring a bit of training prior to ownership – or some other proof of expertise before being able to operate one – is a reasonable request for society to make of gun owners.
That’s a good point Anon, but what if you can’t find anyone to offer you that 4 hours of classroom instruction? I didn’t call all the names on the list, but I tried three for the post (and then two more later). Only three of the numbers were current, none of them offered training. The other two numbers were no longer for the persons listed on the DC list.
With no one to train us, we’re unable to purchase and register a gun. My point is maybe that’s the intent of the law. I don’t like it, but maybe the majority do.
Perhaps we could lobby DC that we’d thin the rat herds with our 22 rifles.
On the up-side, DC no longer requires a blood test to get married! http://www.dccourts.gov/dccourts/superior/family/marriage.jsp
Columbo,
Let me make an analogy. If you’re driving a Miata or a Jetta, your car seems pretty harmless compared to the hulking SUVs you may see around you. But I still had to go through hours of Drivers’ Ed lectures and tests before I could drive on my own. Why? Because in the wrong hands, those little cars are still death machines. Same with your squirrel shooter. There’s a dozen ways that you can hurt yourself and others out of pure ignorance. A four-hour class that teaches you how your rifle operates, and how things can go wrong, is well worth it.
I don’t entirely disagree Tom, but your example isn’t quite analogous. You’re not required to go through drivers’ ed. You just have to be able to pass a written and road test administered by the State. Drivers’ ed is simply a way to help you prepare (and in some cases takes the place of the road test at the DMV).
Although I think 4 hours of classroom instruction is a bit much, I’d be much more amendable to it if it were offered by the MPD. Hell at this point I’d be amendable to it if I could find someone who even offered it.
I agree with the premise of your post. It’s ridiculous that they have a requirement for a 4 hour class, and don’t provide the classes, nor does anyone else. Did you go back to MPD with the information that such classes no longer exist? Perhaps they would allow the substitution of some other training? This seems like something a cop could make some money moonlighting as an instructor.
While in general I support gun control, I do occasionally get the urge to purchase a bolt-action hunting rifle for use in case of zombie uprising.
If you want firearm instruction, I can give it to you. As an infantryman and a tanker, I have shot everything from a 9mm pistol to a 5.56mm assault rifle to a 7.62mm sniper rifle to a .50cal machine gun to a 120mm tank, and everything in between. We are required to qualify every year on our “main” weapon, and we all instruct each other.
What qualifications do I need to have to be a qualified instructor?
Also, I should add… if you’ve never operated a firearm before, 4 hours of classroom training isn’t that long. I would think that the course would cover everything from operation to maintenance and safety. That can easily fill 4 hours.
Buy your rifle in Virginia and store it there. You can visit it on the weekends!
You could also store it in DC with the intention of registering it, and if you forgot to register it, well, just don’t get caught! If you do get caught and want to fight the charge of possession of an unregistered rifle, I recommend you hire Alan Gura. He won the DC vs. Heller case. Happy gun buying!
Thanks dudley! I’ll contact MPD to see if they’ll allow that, much appreciated.
Also Anon: I suspect the VA gun show purchase, never register in DC happens all the time. I’m a rule follower though, especially with something like this, so that option is not for me.
Finally, Mr T, I tried to originally sell a rifle purchase to Mrs Columbo (who is still against it) as protection from the inevitable zombie hordes. Maybe your comment will help convince her… before it’s too late.
Oh, DC Resident, thanks for the heads up on the change in DC marriage regulations. That’s fantastic!
Columbo………Do you have a job? Posting a hot topic and standing by to respond to the inevitable responses…….on who’s dime? A government employee, I assume??
Gun safety classes are offered by the surrounding counties. I had to take one to get a hunting license a few years ago. Ended up choosing a class in upper Montgomery County.
Personally, I have no issue with requiring some classwork. It is a gatekeeping mechanism to stop those from making an impulse decision. Yes it is a pain in the arse, but so would a bum shot from an improperly used gun.
If citizens are required to take a four hour instruction course for owning a gun, I believe it should only be fair to ask expectant parents to take at least 4 hours of parenting class. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can screw up your children for life!
Wow, Anon is starting personal attacks? No wonder he wants to stay anonymous. Let’s try to stick to the issue at hand.
In addition to those suggestions, you may be able to call one of the military bases in the area to provide you with the instruction and the range time. I did a similar thing in Florida, all I had to pay for was ammunition.
i bet if you really want a gun (any kind) in this city there are quite a few places you could go to get them on the black market… which makes all the rules quite pointless.
You’re not required to go through drivers’ ed. You just have to be able to pass a written and road test administered by the State.
Hey, you’re right — I looked it up, and in DC, you don’t need to take any classes. I didn’t know that because I’m from Pennsylvania, so I just transferred over my PA license. PA requires you to not only pass a test but also have fifty (yes, 50) hours of behind the wheel driving experience prior to taking the skills test. I think PA may be a little excessive with 50 hours, but it’s kind of insane that in DC it’s ZERO. That might explain why I’ve been almost run down a couple dozen times by people who don’t know that the red light means “stop”, not “slowly roll through oncoming traffic and pedestrians.”
Thanks for the follow up tom. If it’s any consolation your post and dudley’s have convinced me that the four hour training class is in fact reasonably difficult. So I no longer have an issue with the fact that a would-be gun owner must take such a class.
I still think it should be a class offered by MPD and not a 3rd party, but I’ve come around to see your points.
Thanks for the lively discussion.
I think it’s fair to say the D.C. Council would just as well have the gun ban in place. However, it is curious that industry hasn’t moved in to fill the gaps created by the council’s registration rules, such as instruction and sales. I suspect that the fact that Columbo had to head to Maryland to check out rifles (which makes me think more of Kevin Costner in Silverado than Peter Falk) suggests that gun dealers and ancillary industries are waiting to see how the gun ownership debate plays out. Frankly, as much as I wish Congress would mind its own business and let the District handle its own affairs, if the Supreme Court finds that D.C. residents have as much right to bear arms as the rest of the country, then we should be able to exercise that right. Otherwise, what’s to stop the council from quartering soldiers in our homes to revoking our right to civil trial? And if the Congress and Supreme Court start treating us like regular citizens, they might just give us equal representation on the Hill.
there are three places I know of where you can shoot a gun around DC…
1) Prince George’s Trap and Skeet Center (closest in Glenn Dale, MD) – trap, skeet and sporting clays. they have a great intro class, are a Beretta dealer and will rent you a gun/sell ammo on the spot (note: you cannot take the gun off the range premises).
2) Bull Run Shooting Center (mid-distance in Centreville, VA) – haven’t been here but they do have an archery range too.
2) Shady Grove Hunting Preserve and Sporting Clays (farther away in Remington, VA) – in addition to sporting clay facilities, they’ll arrange hunts and provide retriever/pointer dogs for you also. this one’s an hour and half drive (including a pit stop).
my only recommendation is to not go when it is below 40 degrees outside.
The NRA HQ also has a shooting range in Fairfax. It is indoor, but does allow rifles.
Many gun stores in the metro area host shooting events, including Atlantic Guns (Silver Spring & Rockville locations). Atlantic Guns was founded in DC, they used to be on 14th ST.
I’ve never been to Bull Run or Shady Grove, but I’ve been to Prince George’s a couple times and it’s great. Ask for Rhys Arthur.
Forget the rules. Just buy a rifle in VA or MD and be discreet about moving it to and from your car/apartment. Long guns can be purchased across state lines. Only handguns must be purchased in-state.
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boo hoo. a gun is a gun. just rent one and shut up about it.