Battered DC Gun Owner Syndrome.
...
I can’t blame them because the process is designed to be discouraging.
Add to that the sticker shock from the total cost of obtaining a license. Factor in the 16 hour training course cost, the application fee, registration fee, plus if they don’t already own a gun include the cost of purchasing a gun and the FFL transfer fees ($125 for Mr. Sykes alone) and most people just walk away from me shaking their head when I try to convince them to go for it.
I can’t blame them because the process is designed to be discouraging.
Half of DC is probably already prohibited
But requiring identification to vote is a nazi-level crime against humanity civil rights violation.
Okay, got it.
3 or 4 reasons .
After zero handguns between 1972 and Heller , and highly cumbersome procedures to purchase for generations before that ( source , my Dad's experiences in early 1950s ) , Wash DC has extremely low rates of firearm ownership of any type, or even awareness of lawful gun ownership , among long time residents. It's increasing , but from very low starting point.
People coming to DC from outside for job or political reasons self select . If they are gun people , they don't relocate into the actual District , but instead Va or Md . Also ties into statistic on Non-Resident. Many of those work , or have close ties to DC , and if DC was closer to national norms , would have been residents .
And the time , hassle , and $$$ involved discourage applicants . Heck has even been working on Me . If Md had a process like DC , I'd be on it in a heartbeat, along with 2 or 3 more people from my household. But DC ? Where I rarely go by choice , and usually with other things limiting me ? I've had to pragmatically put DC CCW on back burner for imeadate future . But. "Someday " I will .
I think it's likely higher than most people imagine. A lot of people have an unregistered firearm stashed in the house, and I'm not just talking about gang bangers. But, you're correct that it's not like VA.
The peer reviewed studies say DC has 25.9%
http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/con...86.full.pdf?keytype=ref&ijkey=doj6vx0laFZMsQ2
(see page 3).
Higher rate than Maryland.
sure I have my criticism of that study's but it is one used by scores of other studies by gun control advocacy researchers, and it is kinda funny since it shows 1/4 of DC residents -- likely 95% Democrats -- are in criminal possession of a firearm and don't care about gun laws
Maybe 1,500 of DC's 4,000 current and retired cops are residents of the District.
Maybe 1,500 of the 3,000 federal officers empowered to carry are residents of the districts
About 4,000 to 5,000 non law enforcement civilians hold the ~8,000 registered guns.
so maybe 0.5% of the 25.9% who possess guns in DC do so legally
Also interesting:
Academic studies funded by Bloomberg, and/or used by Everytown, VPC, Brady et al., on suicide say DC has a 3% or 4% gun ownership rate, since using that number supports their claims on suicide. DC has the lowest suicide rate in the country so they pick a DC gun ownership number that fits their narrative that less guns = less suicide
.
Academic studies funded by Bloomberg, and or/used by Everytown, VPC, Brady et al., on murder say DC has 25.9% gun ownership, since that number supports their claims on homicide. DC has a very high homicide rate, so they pick a high DC gun ownership number to fit their narrative that more guns = more murder.