Correct me if I'm wrong...

So, with the Supreme Court ruling making DC go shall issue, I was thinking about getting my DC CCW. When in NOVA it is very easy at times to cross into DC without even realizing it and I wanted a little legal cover. Well, I'm not sure it is worth the cost and hassle...

Am I reading things right? It appears that even non-resident CCW applicants must register their CCW gun(s) with the DC Metro Police. OK, annoying, but not necessarily a deal breaker (well, since at any given day, I may be carrying one of 6 autos, 7 if I ever carry the LCP again, and 4 revolvers, it is kind of a pain in and of itself). However, looking at the registration requirements it has to be on the MD handgun roster, the CA roster and the MA roster??!!! Am I reading that right?! That is insane and leaves very few guns that are OK in DC.

If I'm reading that right, I can't carry my Taurus PT140 (not that I ever would again, but still) because it isn't approved in MA or CA, I can't carry my Taurus 85CH because no Taurus is approved in MA and that particular model isn't approved in CA, I can't carry my CZ P01 because no CZ is MA compliant, I can't carry my SIG P290RS because it is not approved in either MA or CA, no Kel Tecs are approved in either state so no Pf-9 (not that I ever carry it, and I haven't even shot it in years)... Now that list can go on forever, so to limit to guns I actually carry: no CZ P01, no Taurus 85CH, no SIG P290RS, my 3" Rossi 461 (occasional CCW) is not on either list, and my S&W 1911SC is not on the CA roster. That makes one of my main primary CCWs (the 1911SC) and one occasional primary (the P01), two backups (the P290 and 85CH) and one specialty use CCW (Rossi 461) forbidden.

Please tell me I'm misreading that and the gun has to be on one of those states' lists and not all three lists. Or better, tell me that they don't make you register your carry guns if you are a non-resident applicant.

Even without that restriction (assuming I read it right), I'm not 100% sure it is worth doing for what little utility I'd get out of it. I try not to spend too much time in DC (I go for entertainment or recreation about once or twice a year) and it would mainly be for when I take a route around NOVA that takes me through DC for a few miles. From what I can tell, because of the ID requirement I'd have to go to DC in person (can't do it by mail like many jurisdictions) so I'd have to burn a personal day at work and waste most of my day, and I'd have to spend $200-300 on 16 hours of training. It may not even help that much for my main reason for it, to protect myself if I accidentally enter DC while in NOVA and carrying since DC's mag ban is for possession so if I'm carrying one of my guns with a larger than 10 round mag, I'm just as much a criminal as if I don't get the DC CCW permit. So, even without the registration restrictions it is already looking like it may not be worth it. Add in those registration gun restrictions, and I may just be better off continuing to be VERY careful about taking a route I don't know well when in parts of NOVA that are near the DC border.

So, are my assumptions about registration correct? Even if I am or am not correct there, the other limiting factors do seem to limit the utility of a DC CCW (especially for the cost/inconvenience of getting one). After looking at all the considerations, what have other MD or VA residents decided after considering a DC CCW? I'm leaning towards just continuing to be careful not to accidentally cross into DC when in NOVA, and to carry a pocket knife and pepper spray the couple times a year I'm in DC.

It was not the Supreme Court, it was the DC Appleate court. Which does not apply to VA or any other state.

You're partly right. You DO have to register your carry gun, but guns on ANY of those rosters are legal.

Inigoes said:

It was not the Supreme Court, it was the DC Appleate court. Which does not apply to VA or any other state.

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Oops, you are right, I was careless when posting. I had been hoping it would get to the Supreme Court so the decision might apply in MD as well, and of course, it didn't

Ack Ack said:

You're partly right. You DO have to register your carry gun, but guns on ANY of those rosters are legal.

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OK, not as bad then. Still, like I say in the last two paragraphs, I'm not 100% sure if it is worth it or not. What have other people decided when looking at the same thing?

DC will register one handgun with your application for free. All others are 13 dollars each. That could get expensive.

I applied 2 months ago and have another 30 days to wait. A couple of members here already have theirs.

And because the Heller III case was partially won by Gura, you no longer have to take your handgun down to MPDC HQ for registration.

Just fill out the form

It's a personal choice

It's your choice , but ...

As noted above , must be on Roster of at least one of Md , Mass, or Cali .

As noted above , each gun must be registered.

As noted above , both magazine limits , and total number of rounds are restricted . If you are like me , and your tastes run to revolvers and single stacks, no biggie . If you favor the Mega Blaster of the week, you'll be searching 10rd magazines.

Not sure your preferences in spending a night on the town , but carry prohibited where alcohol is served . Plus specific venues can prohibit carry.

The DC border can get confusing between DC and MD on some of the neighborhood side streets . Other than GW Parkway in vicinity of Roosevelt's Island , the Potomac River is fairly obvious, and you will usually notice going over a large bridge .

Carry in hotels or restaurants that serve alcohol is legal. Prohibited in night cubs

Opps. But still care and research must be taken on each venue .

Biggfoot44 said:

It's your choice , but ...

As noted above , must be on Roster of at least one of Md , Mass, or Cali .

As noted above , each gun must be registered.

As noted above , both magazine limits , and total number of rounds are restricted . If you are like me , and your tastes run to revolvers and single stacks, no biggie . If you favor the Mega Blaster of the week, you'll be searching 10rd magazines.

Not sure your preferences in spending a night on the town , but carry prohibited where alcohol is served . Plus specific venues can prohibit carry.

The DC border can get confusing between DC and MD on some of the neighborhood side streets . Other than GW Parkway in vicinity of Roosevelt's Island , the Potomac River is fairly obvious, and you will usually notice going over a large bridge .

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The bridges are obvious, but sometimes (if you are in an area you don't know too well) you don't necessarily realize you are coming up on them/the border until you can no longer turn back (and the GW Parkway is where I once did find myself on the wrong end of the DC line while carrying in NOVA- thank God I didn't get pulled over).

As for prohibitions to carry, I probably won't actually get any use out of a DC CCW other than making it easier to drive around the area. When I go into DC it is to go to a museum or monument (federal property) or to a bar/restaurant. The bar and restaurant may or may not be a gray area, but if I plan to have a drink it definitely is not so gray anymore. The one place that may not be legally prohibited that I may go to is a cousin's house, but he wouldn't want a gun in his home so I would honor his wishes and wouldn't carry into his house. So, 99% of the time, when DC is my destination I won't be able to carry anyway.

For all the hassle DC makes it to get a CCW, and for my one use to be covered if I cross into DC when carrying in NOVA, I may just be best off continuing to be careful not to cross over the state line (I've only once accidentally crossed into DC in many many years so it isn't like it is a common issue for me).

God bless America.

Who can object to simple, common sense gun laws?

There is no gray area about carry in restaurants and hotels that serve alcohol. Specifically allowed in the statute.

C/R and D/R and C/H and D/H are DC licenses to serve beer, wine or spirits in a restaurant or hotel. Notice the comma in the statute including these license types.

Not a gray area at all.
.

The hardest area to navigate through is the mixing bowl of streets at the Memorial Bridge, GW Parkway, RT 27 interchange. It is easy to mistakenly drive into DC trying to navigate that. The other is Columbia Island, which while patrolled by US Park Police, enforce DC law, not VA.

A DC permit would be good insurance for those who carry in VA and navigate that area.

Va Hwy 110 aka North Jeff Davis Hwy is your friend in that area .

It surely is. Dumps you right at Key Bridge with easy access to the GW Parkway. Much less chance of an accidental incursion into DC.

Jubal Early reluctantly acknowledeges that post .

Where's the overlay map of no carry zones in DC? Seemed about 90% if the city was in a no carry zone due to schools etc.

That map was erroneously posted by John lott, based on the DC enhanced penalties statute. He misinterpreted the law and it was debunked by both attorneys and a MPDC spokes person.

With the exception of Federal buildings and monuments, it isn't much different than many other states' off limits locations. Pay attention to the White House and the Naval Observatory (VP residence)

No guns signs do have the force of law in DC.

Happy New Year, all.
For clarification, Chaim (OP) needs a Concealed Carry Permit in VA, as a prerequisite to apply for a non-resident DC permit, correct?
It is not clear in his post. I read his post as referring to his CCW firearms that he intends to carry in DC.

The reason I applied for DC is b/c I have a satellite office in VA, and found myself, unintentionally, in DC for brief periods.

The process was fairly simple. It was about a 30 minutes to submit the application, pay, get fingerprints, get a photo taken, and back to the place I started to show the receipt. It was surprisingly quick. So, Chaim, you needn’t take the whole day off from work.
Good luck.

Yes, DC requires a permit from ANY state to get a DC NR permit

songlaw said:

Happy New Year, all.
For clarification, Chaim (OP) needs a Concealed Carry Permit in VA, as a prerequisite to apply for a non-resident DC permit, correct?
It is not clear in his post. I read his post as referring to his CCW firearms that he intends to carry in DC.

The reason I applied for DC is b/c I have a satellite office in VA, and found myself, unintentionally, in DC for brief periods.

The process was fairly simple. It was about a 30 minutes to submit the application, pay, get fingerprints, get a photo taken, and back to the place I started to show the receipt. It was surprisingly quick. So, Chaim, you needn’t take the whole day off from work.
Good luck.

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I don't have a VA permit, I carry on a UT non-res permit when carrying in VA. I may add a VA permit so I don't have to worry about school zones, but I'm hoping to finally move to either VA or PA within the next 6mo to year and a half (either next summer or the summer after) so I may not bother with a VA non-res permit if I might be getting a resident permit soon (in a year or so). As swinokur mentioned in the post after yours, DC only requires a CCW permit from any state (and my reading is that that is one of a few possible criteria to qualify for a DC CCW), so my UT non-resident permit should be fine.

As for the time, I do need to take my time off work in 1/2 day increments (and I work in Glen Burnie, not around DC), so I may not need a whole day's leave, but I would need to burn a 1/2 day of leave. Still, it isn't just the time, for the limited utility a DC permit would give me, it is quite a hassle (drive into DC, registration of any firearms that may be carried, still need to be just as careful as now when I carry my CZ P01 with its 14 round mags or when carrying the 15 round reload for my M&P 40c, 16 hr plus range time training class) and expensive ($200-300 for the training class plus fingerprinting, application, and gun registration fees). I still may do it. The map Swinokur posted is a big part of why I'm thinking about it as it is pretty easy in certain parts of the area to inadvertently end up driving in DC (it happened to me once while carrying), and if I do ever move to the Arlington/Alexandria side of NOVA I almost definitely will do it (it may be worth the insurance, and if I move there, I'll probably end up spending more time in DC than I do now).

swinokur said:

There is no gray area about carry in restaurants and hotels that serve alcohol. Specifically allowed in the statute.

C/R and D/R and C/H and D/H are DC licenses to serve beer, wine or spirits in a restaurant or hotel. Notice the comma in the statute including these license types.

Not a gray area at all.

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Maybe not legally speaking, but practically speaking it is gray at best. If I'm meeting friends at a bar or club, I'm going to have a drink or two (I won't get drunk, but over the course of a few hours I may have 2 or even 3 if it is on the longer end of a few hours). If I go out to a nice restaurant I'll have a beer or wine with dinner. I didn't even bother to look if DC bans all drinking with CCW (I think it does) or just being over the legal limit, but I personally don't care what the law says on that, I'm not carrying when I'm drinking. Not a good combo to mix alcohol and guns.