Firearm Registration in the District of Columbia
The Metropolitan Police Department is the agency responsible for registering firearms in the District of Columbia. The Department’s publication, Firearms Registration General Requirements and Study Guide, provides you with the information you need to comply with the District’s laws regarding proper registration and safekeeping of your weapon. By being familiar with the law and the process, you will be able to quickly and easily register your weapon and ensure that you are in compliance.
Recent Regulatory Changes
On June 17, 2009, the Metropolitan Police Department issued emergency and proposed rulemaking expanding the types of handguns that can be legally registered in the District of Columbia. The emergency and proposed regulations will allow a greater variety of handguns to be registered in the District of Columbia. To protect residents from unsafe handguns that are more prone to accidental discharge, lack safety devices, and may be prone to firing when dropped, the Council of the District of Columbia identified the California Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale (also known as the California Roster of Handguns Determined Not to be Unsafe) as a source list for safer handguns. Handguns on the roster have passed firing, safety, and drop tests and are certified for sale in California by the California Department of Justice. The Chief of Police is authorized to periodically revise, by rule, the roster of handguns permissible for sale.
The regulations will establish a District Roster of Handguns Not Determined to be Unsafe that will include the California list and handguns that are on the safe gun rosters of Maryland and Massachusetts. These regulations will allow for handguns with superficial differences from handguns on the roster – such as color or grip material – to be registered. The regulations will also allow for handguns that are removed from the California list for administrative reasons to remain on the District list. The Chief will also be issuing new regulations shortly dealing with the registration of additional revolvers not yet included on the District’s Roster.
Since the Heller decision, about 50 applications to register handguns have been denied. This may have been for a variety of reasons unrelated to the safe handgun list, including that the individual was not eligible to register a handgun. MPD is reviewing these applications to evaluate whether the handgun might be eligible for registration under these new regulations, and will follow up with the applicants. In the meantime, individuals whose applications were rejected because the handgun was not eligible to be registered are also welcome to contact MPD’s Firearms Registration Section.
Legislative Changes
In June 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that District of Columbia provisions banning private handgun possession in the home and requiring safe storage of firearms in the home violated the Second Amendment. The ruling left intact various other laws that apply to private citizens who would purchase handguns or other firearms for home possession. Within three weeks of that ruling, the city passed emergency legislation and regulations to comply with the ruling while permanent legislation was developed. After a series of public hearings, the Council of the District of Columbia passed permanent legislation making additional changes to firearms registration requirements on December 16, 2008. The Council also passed companion emergency legislation at the same so that it would become immediately effective when signed by the Mayor. On January 6, 2009, the Mayor signed the following bills:
Firearms Registration Section Contact Information
- Hours
Monday-Friday, 9 am – 5 pm
- Telephone
- Firearms Registration Section: (202) 727-4275
- Firearms Registration Hotline (24 hours): (202) 727-9490
- Location
Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters (Main Entrance)
300 Indiana Avenue, NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20001
Registration will take place at MPD Headquarters only. You may not register a firearm at any other MPD facility.
- Nearest Metro Stop
Judiciary Square (4th Street Exit)
- Website: www.mpdc.dc.gov/gunregistration
Firearms Registration General Requirements and Study Guide
Additional Resources
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