Firearm Registration: Complete Registration Procedures

Step 1: Complete MPD’s Application for Firearms Registration Certificate (PD-219).

The form is available through DC FFLs, or through FRS. You can pick up a copy at the FRS office or contact FRS to request that a form be mailed to you.  Fill out the “Purchaser/Owner’s Name” of the form. If you are buying a new gun, the SELLER of the gun will complete Section A of the form.  The form must be signed by both the purchaser and seller in the presence of each other.

Step 2: Bring the completed PD-219 to the FRS, along with the firearm, if appropriate.  

If you already own the firearm, bring the UNLOADED gun with you.  If you are purchasing a firearm, the dealer cannot release the firearm to you until you have completed this process and return with a valid registration certificate.  Also bring:

• Proof of residency in the District of Columbia (e.g., a valid DC operator’s permit, DC vehicle registration card, lease agreement for a residence in the District, the deed to your home, or other legal document showing DC residency).
   
• Proof of identity. The standards for proving this are the same as at the Department of Motor Vehicles; you must provide either ONE (1) primary source document or TWO (2) secondary source documents.
  • Primary Sources: ONE (1) required and must provide original document
    • Social Security Card bearing applicant's full name, social security number, and signature
    • Social Security Administration verification printout reflecting applicant's full name and social security number
  • Secondary Sources: TWO (2) required and must provide original document
    • Payroll statement issued within the last 12 months reflecting applicant's full name and social security number
    • Valid U.S. Military discharge papers (DD-214)
    • Valid health insurance card reflecting applicant's full name and social security number
    • Valid identification card issued by government agency (excluding motor vehicle issued driver license / identification card) reflecting applicant's full name and social security number
    • IRS W-2 (wage and tax statement) issued within the last 12 months
    • Original letter or correspondence from the IRS or DC Office of Tax and Revenue issued within the last 12 months
    • Government-certified copy of Federal or State tax return filed within the last two years
• 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.  An affidavit signed by the certified firearms instructor who conducted the course providing the name, address, and phone number of the instructor and attesting to the successful completion of the course by the applicant will constitute proof.  Firearms instructors certified by MPD can provide this training. A current list is available on the website or at the FRS.  Training provided by firearms instructors not on this list will be considered on a case-by-case basis if the instruction was provided outside of the Metropolitan Washington area.  An official license or certificate provided by a government agency for the use of a firearm will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Examples include, but are not limited to, a license or certificate for hunting, armed military service, or armed service as a special police officer.

_{NOTE: As of July 1, 2012, residents will no longer be required to take a training course in order to register a firearm. Instead, applicants will be required to watch a video on firearm safe handling provided free of charge by the District, or to substantiate that he or she has otherwise met the minimum requirements as noted above.}

Step 3: Certify, in writing, that you are not legally blind.

Step 4: Take and pass a brief multiple-choice test based on information on DC’s firearms laws and regulations provided in this guide. 

To pass, you must correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions. The exam is designed to ensure that registrants are familiar with basic but essential information about firearms safety and laws. Applicants may refer to this guide while taking the test.

Step 4: Pay the appropriate fees (see chart below).

Step 5: Be fingerprinted for your background check.

Step 6: Once the application is approved (generally within five days), the FRS will notify you.

You can pick up your registration certificate or request that it be mailed to you. If you are registering:

• A firearm that you already own, your registration process is complete.

• A firearm that you have just purchased, you must bring your certificate to the dealer to retrieve the gun, and your registration process is complete.

District Government Fee Schedule

Fees must be paid at the time of application, and can be paid only by cash or money order.  Money orders should be made payable to “DC Treasurer.”  In addition to the fees charged by the government, there are private sector fees in this process.  Anyone purchasing a firearm outside of the District will need to transfer the firearm through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL). At the time of the printing of this guide, the current charge is $125 per firearm. Please check with the FFL to verify current charges.

Anyone registering a first firearm before July 1, 2012, is required to take a firearms safety course (see item 2d, above). The price for the course is set by the trainer, but may cost $200 or more. Please note that as of July 1, 2012, registrants will no longer be required to take this course. Instead, applicants will be required to watch a video on firearm safe handling provided free of charge by the District.

_{NOTE: Pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 7-1009(1), the term "blind person" means, and the term "blind" refers to, a person who is totally blind, has impaired vision of not more than 20/200 visual acuity in the better eye and for whom vision cannot be improved to better than 20/200, or who has loss of vision due wholly or in part to impairment of field vision or to other factors which affect the usefulness of vision to a like degree.}