If you have a gun – legally registered or not – and you want to make sure it does not end up in the wrong hands, you can contact the Metropolitan Police Department for assistance. MPD will take the gun, and as long as it has not been used in a crime, the person surrendering the gun will not face any penalties for possessing it.
The options to surrender a firearm are to:
- Turn the firearm over to the police. Ideally, request that police come to your residence or place of business to assist with removal of the firearm, or contact the closest police station prior to traveling to surrender the firearm. You are not required to provide identification, photographs, or fingerprints.
- Sell the firearm to a licensed dealer.
- Lawfully remove the firearm from the District of Columbia by moving it to a place where it can be lawfully possessed or giving it to a person who can lawfully possess it.
The same options also apply to ammunition.
Reference: DC Code § 7-2507.05