RSS FeedPhoto Of The Week: Ducks in Navy Memorial Fountain
After all of the rain we’ve been getting these past few days (and with more rain on the way this afternoon), we thought that spectreman’s photo of a duck in Penn Quarter’s Navy Memorial fountain was appropriate for a photo of the week. Check out spectrman’s photo stream for more pics of Penn Quarter.
No More $3 Sundaes On Mondays
Reader JU sent in this photo of an eviction notice which is now hanging on the front door of Gifford’s Ice Cream (555 11th St NW, entrance on E). A week or so ago we tried contracting both the Gifford’s manufacturing unit and the separately owned retail unit. The manufacturing side got back to us, but as they do not own/manage the retail stores they didn’t know when our PQ Gifford’s might reopen. We never heard back from the retail side.
Well, we still have U-Scream at 1001 Penn Ave (on 11th between Penn & E).
Trigger Control
In May of 2009 we wrote about what we thought was an overly-burdensome process to legally obtain a firearm in DC. Our biggest complaint was the 4 hours of classroom instruction taught by a DC certified firearms instructor. We were subsequently lambasted for this position in the comments field, with many of our readers correctly noting the importance of gun safety. We ultimately agreed with that reasoning, and more than a year later finally took the 5 hours course (4 hours classroom, 1 hour range practice) earlier this summer.
Since our early 2009 article, both the Post and Examiner have had long pieces on the entire process of securing a gun legally in DC. In fact for anyone serious about owning a gun in DC, you can just print out that Examiner article and use it as a true step by step tutorial. As it happens we used the same firearms instructor that the author of the Examiner article used, as the Sirius Group advertised such a class on the web.
The 4 hours of classroom instruction wasn’t, we suspect, what our commenters thought it would be. Our $160 class, taught at the Gilbert Indoor Range in Rockville, involved watching hours worth of “I am not an attorney” spokesmen discussing some really awful reenactments. The class and videos are all geared towards handgun ownership for personal protection, and when it is ok to shoot someone. That’s not a knock on Sirius Group, they’re teaching the class that DC requires; but the 4 hours of classroom instruction are not about gun safety, instead they focus on your right to defend yourself.
The 1 hour of range time, however, is worth the price of admission. This was the piece we never complained about in our original article: Hands-on instruction on proper gun etiquette and technique. Where the four hours of videos were sleep inducing, the range time and training was exhilarating. If you’ve not handled a gun since that 20 gauge at summer camp, learning how to load, safety, and handle a 9mm is both nerve racking and confidence building. We’ve always wanted to feel respect, but not fear, when handling firearms. The range time can certainly help you achieve that goal.
We haven’t gone any farther in the process as there is no gun purchase in our immediate future. But if you’re serious about owning a gun in DC, be prepared for hours worth of boring videos on when shooting is acceptable (here’s a hint: you can’t shoot someone if they’re not a threat to you), and then a single hour of practical gun handling experience.
DC Link Roundup: Heard In The ‘Hood
Photo Credit: PQ Living reader Megan L. spots Exercise Man at 6th and H Streets NW
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Here’s what we were reading last week about neighborhood news in DC. Have neighborhood thoughts? Leave them in the comments!
Penn Quarter – Every wonder about that funky building and facade on 8th Street NW between D and E Streets NW? This post reveals all including the facade’s origins which are also from the PQ! [Streets of Washington]
Foggy Bottom – Those West Enders are getting a Whole Foods. We got a Carmine’s…so there. [Washington City Paper: City Desk]
Downtown – Will Roberto Donna’s new Galileo III restaurant get off the ground? [WaPo]
All Over DC – The Real Housewives of D.C. made their debut on Bravo. Let the fun poking (and “pinky-pacting”) begin! [WaPo] & [Washington City Paper]