Registration for handguns registered before 1976

4MDGunRights · Apr 9, 2011

Is anyone familiar with the current handgun registration requirements for a handgun registered in the District of Columbia before 1976, in accordance with the grandfather clause of the Firearms Control Act of 1975?

GNLaFrance · Apr 9, 2011

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=38780&highlight=handgun+registration+1985

Is there a Handgun or Firearm Registry Requirement in Maryland?

Simple answer, NO. While it is VERY likely that Maryland retains records for all Handguns and “Regulated Rifles” [sold in the state - GNL], any weapon brought into Maryland does NOT have to be “Registered” unless it is a Machine Gun.

4MDGunRights · Apr 9, 2011

The question applies to handguns existing in DC only.

4MDGunRights · Apr 11, 2011

OK, I'll answer my own question. I called MPD Firearms Section and they said that as of now, there has been no law enacted that require handguns or any other firearms registered before the DC gun ban was enacted in 1976 to be re-registered. There are police that would like the law to be changed so that they can account for the thousands of previously registered firearms, but no changes in law have been made yet.

I will add in here that if the weapon was registered before the 1976 gun ban, then you had better have your paperwork because DC has likely lost their copy. In the absence of the paperwork, your weapon would be considered unregistered, and an unregistered gun in DC gets you nothing but trouble.

buffalobob · Apr 13, 2011

This is the internet and one is always wise to answer ones own question.

GNLaFrance · Apr 13, 2011

Darth Fabulous · Apr 29, 2011

4MDGunRights said:
OK, I'll answer my own question. I called MPD Firearms Section and they said that as of now, there has been no law enacted that require handguns or any other firearms registered before the DC gun ban was enacted in 1976 to be re-registered. There are police that would like the law to be changed so that they can account for the thousands of previously registered firearms, but no changes in law have been made yet.

The cops need to worry about the guns that are not registered and on the street, not old guns owned by old people.

StantonCree · May 6, 2011

Ok let me give you the real info and a PM will be followed shortly to keep your butt out of jail. D.C. (regardless of grandfather period) WILL arrest you for having an unregistered weapon inside your house. I am a D.C. cop and come across this often actually and my hands are freakin tied. D.C. issued an Amnesty period for all residents who had firearms in their house. This period was to allow lawful gun owners to go get their guns registered. THAT PERIOD IS OVER AS OF NOVEMBER 2010. Now if the police come inside your house and find you with a boom boom stick, prepare to take a trip to your local district cell block unless you have the registration papers.

In D.C. the police follow what is known as our general orders. It surpasses D.C. Laws and if we don't follow them well, the unemployment line has a spot for us. In our general orders "If you encouter a citizen with a firearm not registered to the resident after November 2010 YOU WILL arrest the citizen on charges of Unregistered Firearm and Unregistered Ammo" They don't even give us the option. Both are misd. charges with penalties to include 6 months probation and communtiy service but are punishable by up to 180 days in jail.

I went to a 67 yr old woman's house who's husband passed away. She had 4 unregistered firearms in her house. She was a LOON!!!!! Off her meds and was hearing voices. When her husband passed away the 4 guns (2 were sawed-off shotguns) were left inside the house. My Sgt. responded and I was ordered to take this 67 year old woman with mental problems to jail. The case was dismissed the next morning but I did not have the option.

PLEASE GET IT REGISTED SO YOU DON'T SIT IN OUR JAIL WITH REAL CRIMINALS.

hvymax · May 6, 2011

God I hope you and your entire Dept are sued out of existance.

StantonCree · May 6, 2011

#1 nothing I can do about it.........#2 in all honesty she did have 2 federal violations for the homemade sawed off shotguns that she didn't get charged with (cuz I didn't want to put a felony on a 67 yr old woman). #3 a woman with her mental capacity had no business having firearms anyway she really did need to be placed in an mental facility. Anyway, not here to debate the actions I was ORDERED to take just advising the members on our protocall to keep good citizens out of bad places.

buffalobob · May 6, 2011

During the amnesty period, I took in one 22 pistol, 3 shotguns one of which I had bought before guns had serial numbers, and 4 rifles. All of the guns were purchased before I moved into DC. Since that point in time, I have purchased a X frame, a XP-100 and a Glock 34 for competition. Prior to that I had legally purchased two hunting rifles a F-class rifle and two shotguns through Atlantic guns that I registered in DC.

The original question was very narrow in scope and even with my dealings with the MPD gun registration unit, I would not offer an opinion on the question because the wrong answer has really serious consequences as MPDC4511 aptly points out.

Anyone who wonders why I have so many guns in DC is welcome to peruse my videos of dead animals at You tube

http://www.youtube.com/user/Microcystis?feature=mhum

Or you can come to Quantico pistol match tomorrow.

Markp · May 6, 2011

mpdc4511 said:
#1 nothing I can do about it.........#2 in all honesty she did have 2 federal violations for the homemade sawed off shotguns that she didn't get charged with (cuz I didn't want to put a felony on a 67 yr old woman). #3 a woman with her mental capacity had no business having firearms anyway she really did need to be placed in an mental facility. Anyway, not here to debate the actions I was ORDERED to take just advising the members on our protocall to keep good citizens out of bad places.

It is interesting to note that the police can choose not to enforce whatever laws they deem non-enforceable at the time.

1. Nothing he could do about it?

Well, he did take her to jail, but why? To protect his job...

2. Federal felony for possession of a SBS?

Eh, we'll just look the other way on that one, I won't lose my job, so I don't have to enforce that law. Reason, just because I feel like it.

3. I was following orders.

So were the Nazi's. That's hardly the reason... you're protecting your livelihood... nothing more, nothing less (and not completely wrong either.) I am sure that you are a fine person, but really that was a weak argument.

And this is why I feel so much safer in DC, knowing that Cathy Lanier and crew are on the case. Yet, unsolved shootings continue in DC.

Mark

BigSteve57 · May 6, 2011

mpdc4511 said:
#1 nothing I can do about it.........#2 in all honesty she did have 2 federal violations for the homemade sawed off shotguns that she didn't get charged with (cuz I didn't want to put a felony on a 67 yr old woman). #3 a woman with her mental capacity had no business having firearms anyway she really did need to be placed in an mental facility. Anyway, not here to debate the actions I was ORDERED to take just advising the members on our protocall to keep good citizens out of bad places.

I don't want to in any way shoot the messenger and I really appreciate hearing what the real deal is. This scares the crap out of me. So you're allowed discretion on one law but not another? I shudder at the thought of one day being old and unaware that some weird law was passed and then being hauled off to jail for it.

Just one more reason why I'll never live, work or after hearing this perhaps even VISIT DC.

BlueHeeler · May 6, 2011

hvymax said:
God I hope you and your entire Dept are sued out of existance.

Fair enough, but I find it extreemly helpful to hear what DC police and registration are doing.

The laws are reasonably simple to understand. However the procedure and misinformation from registration are difficult to deal with. Hearing one other knowledgable person's understanding helps.

I hope mpdc4511 sticks around to provide info/interpretation he is going to be an asset for other DC residents.

jaypark · May 6, 2011

While it is VERY likely that Maryland retains records for all Handguns and “Regulated Rifles” [sold in the state - GNL], any weapon brought into Maryland does NOT have to be “Registered” unless it is a Machine Gun.

wrong. MSP Firearms Registration Section not only retains them they are in a computer database under NCIC. Regulated firearms brought here for the purpose of becoming a resident are required to be 'voluntarily' registered not just MGs

GNLaFrance · May 6, 2011

jaypark said:
wrong. MSP Firearms Registration Section not only retains them they are in a computer database under NCIC. Regulated firearms brought here for the purpose of becoming a resident are required to be 'voluntarily' registered not just MGs

I started to answer this, but you know what, never mind. This thread was started by someone who already knew the answer to his question, and the whole thing is starting to look like some kind of weird circle jerk.

StantonCree · May 6, 2011

Two things.......#1 an edit to the original post and that being that if the guns were registered prior to the 1975 act than they are covered and considered registered handguns (misread of original post my apologies).

#2 directed to Mark.......Senario. A 67 year old woman with severe mental issues is in possession of a SBS that was not hers to begin with (it was her husbands). Who benefits from that woman stewing in a jail cell for 5 years? She continues to mentally deteriorate. YOUR now paying for her stay in a FEDERAL correctional facility (taxes buddy, which at a recent estimate was 23k a year per prisioner). Why not just take the property and get her the mental eval she needs??? As far as taking her to jail to protect my job...partly correct...the other part, it's the law. I just used it to my and hers advantage by attempting to do the best thing for the citizen with the choices I was given.

Discretion is key in this line of work. If I locked up every person driving with no permit, I wouldn't be out there to answer the radio when your mother (nothing making an attack on family just bringing it closer to home so you understand a bit more....at least thats my intention) gets robbed and raped. If I arrested every person I stopped who had a crack pipe I would be processing arrests all 8 hours of my tour. If your house was pillaged, you would get no police service because we would be dealing with B.S. such as the above mentioned arrestable offenses. Time/Place/Circumstances.

Mark I am not sure where you reside but if it's in MD jump on into the homicide rates and get your feet wet. MD started out the year with 13 in 15 days (I believe that's P.G. County alone) Last year I know of 3 homicide squads out of 6 who had a 100% closure rate. I actually give our homicide guys tons of credit they work their freaking butt off and are GREAT at what they do.

StantonCree · May 6, 2011

Again please don't take any above comments personal this is a froum for the free flow of ideas and by no means am I attacking anyones family or attemping to be nasty towards any members, just trying to share my opinion/knowledge.

Hitman4509 · May 6, 2011

Markp said:
It is interesting to note that the police can choose not to enforce whatever laws they deem non-enforceable at the time.

1. Nothing he could do about it?

Well, he did take her to jail, but why? To protect his job...

2. Federal felony for possession of a SBS?

Eh, we'll just look the other way on that one, I won't lose my job, so I don't have to enforce that law. Reason, just because I feel like it.

3. I was following orders.

So were the Nazi's. That's hardly the reason... you're protecting your livelihood... nothing more, nothing less (and not completely wrong either.) I am sure that you are a fine person, but really that was a weak argument.

And this is why I feel so much safer in DC, knowing that Cathy Lanier and crew are on the case. Yet, unsolved shootings continue in DC.

Mark

1.) I guess we all cant be as financially independent as you are that we can just pi$$ away a good paying, hard to get job based on personal beliefs. Police Officers have mortgages and families to support just like everyone else (and impulsive gun-buying habits). If we get suspended or fired for not following a lawful order, I'm sure you wont be offering to pay my mortgage...

2.) She was already getting arrested for possession of Unregistered Firearms. Police action was being taken, and the illegal guns were being confiscated. Was there an absolute need to add a federal weapons offense and another, more serious DC charge for the SBS's? No. Main two issues: 1) Get the guns off the street, 2) Get the woman the help she needs. No need to clog the system up with more charges on someone that's 67 and just going to be in a mental facility anyway.

3.) Certain things are discretionary, certain things are not. When a Sergeant or above tell you to do something that is within the scope of your official duties and it is a lawful order based on DC Code and General Orders than you follow it. IF the order is clearly an unlawful one(which doesnt happen very often), the order does not need to be followed (will just have some explaining to do later on.) In this situation, the order was lawful and an arrest was made based on DC Code and the lawful order of a Sergeant.

StantonCree · May 6, 2011

I guess the real point i was trying to make in my loosely tied together tirade was that not everything falls in that "black and white" category. If I spent my time enforcing every infraction I observed or encountered then I'd have no time for things that actually matter on the job. It's like when your wife attempts to start an argument with you because she is having a bad day and your now going to be the outlet for that anger. What good is it for you to bite and engage in that argument. 9 times out of 10 (if you gentleman are smart and I assume you are considering your on a website to learn and impart knowledge) you pick and choose your battles and attempt to make the outcome best for everyone. In that situation I deemed the best outcome to be a mental health eval for the woman, guns were seized so they couldn't be taken in a burglary, I kept my job, and you my friends now don't have to worry about 3 shotguns and one revolver being pointed at your face while you are coming to and from work minding your own business doing what you do.

Oh and I second Hitman's problem about impulse gun buying (Hello folks (stands up) my name is Matt and I am addicted to firearms and firearms accessories)

Registration for handguns registered before 1976

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Gun Totin' Member

RIP

Gun Totin' Member

Gun Totin' Member

Active Member

RIP

Active Member

Watch your beer

Banned

Watch your beer

Active Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Banned

RIP

Watch your beer

Watch your beer

Active Member

Watch your beer

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics