As I understand it there is currently no legal way to purchase a gun in D.C. Where would a cap and ball revolver fit in this situation? A person does not need an FFL when buying one of these does he? Cabelas has them in the catalog so I'm assuming you just have it mailed to the house. It sure ain't a Glock 17, but you could no doubt defend yourself. Would the " Old School " solution be in violation of current laws?

I'm sure the turds in DC would label a cap and ball revolver as a machine gun.

I believe they have something on the table to be able to buy in both Virginia and Maryland.

IANAL but I understand that a black powder revolvers are not covered under DC law. I do not believe you are even requried to register one. You cannot, however, carry it concealed on your person.

There is an article in today's New York times about firearms' transfers in D.C. There will be one person who will be the FFL to accept transfers in from other states. The fee is $125 per firearm and will take about three weeks for each firearm. This person has handled transactions for the police for quite a while. Looks like more red tape to impede ownership.

One person to handle tranfers? I'm sure that will go well. So does this person deliver the handgun to your house, or do DC police arrest you when you walk out the door with your new purchase?

quote:

Originally posted by weekendshooter:
There is an article in today's New York times about firearms' transfers in D.C. There will be one person who will be the FFL to accept transfers in from other states. The fee is $125 per firearm and will take about three weeks for each firearm. This person has handled transactions for the police for quite a while. Looks like more red tape to impede ownership.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/washington/01guns.htm...0&st=cse&oref=slogin


Washington Gun Ownership to Go Through One Man

By WILL BARDENWERPER
September 1, 2008

WASHINGTON — Residents here who buy a gun to keep legally at home, now that the Supreme Court has overturned the city’s ban on handguns, will find that a bureaucratic maze leads them to an unmarked door on Good Hope Road Southeast where Charles W. Sykes Jr. does business.

Mr. Sykes does not sell guns, but on Tuesday he is expected to become the only federally licensed dealer in Washington to serve as the transfer agent for the carefully controlled transactions that will put guns in the hands of district residents.

There are no gun stores here, and a resident who buys a gun elsewhere must have the weapon shipped to a licensed dealer in the district. Mr. Sykes’s permit will allow him to receive the weapon and, for a transaction fee of $125, he will ensure that the requisite paperwork is prepared for approval by federal and district officials before handing over the weapon to its new owner.

Mr. Sykes has been handling this kind of transaction since 1994 for security firms, police officers and the like. His enterprise, CS Exchange Limited and located in the southeast Washington neighborhood of Anacostia, is not listed in the telephone book, and he does not advertise. But his name is commonly known in local gun circles, and he can be found on the Internet.

Mr. Sykes said his firearms work was a sideline — he would not name his full-time employer — and he had no thoughts of selling guns.

“I don’t know of any firearms dealer in the greater metropolitan area that hasn’t been broken into,” he said. “I don’t want the headache of having to secure a stockpile of weapons.”

There may be a few other holders of federal firearms licenses in the city, but according to the police, he will soon be the only one to offer this service.

There was a surge of people contacting him after the Supreme Court’s ruling, but Mr. Sykes said some people had lost interest upon learning how long it was taking him to receive the necessary approval. As of Tuesday, however, if all goes according to plan, a resident of the District of Columbia who purchases a gun should expect to receive the weapon within three weeks of purchase.

Mr. Sykes relocated his business in February; the new location was certified by the federal firearms agency in July. He applied for an annual license from the District Police Department, and that is the license he should receive Tuesday, said Traci Hughes, a police spokeswoman.

At that point, prospective new gun owners will for the first time be able to obtain weapons from out of state and have them duly licensed in the district.

Mr. Sykes said that so far only about 10 district residents had approached him for the transfer of newly purchased weapons. Still, there are indications that business may pick up eventually.

Dale Metta, the manager of Atlantic Guns in nearby Silver Spring, Md., said he had received “lots of interest from D.C. residents, but the problem has been that Mr. Sykes was not yet ready for business.”

Mr. Metta said in the weeks after the Supreme Court’s ruling he received at least 10 visits a day from Washington residents interested in buying a gun.

Also, the District Police Department has provided 412 firearms applications to the public, Ms. Hughes said.

Mr. Sykes, meanwhile, is counseling patience. “You’ve waited for 33 years,” he said. “What is another month or two?”

Copyright 2008

quote:

Mr. Sykes’s permit will allow him to receive the weapon and, for a transaction fee of $125, he will ensure that the requisite paperwork is prepared for approval by federal and district officials before handing over the weapon to its new owner.

The benefits of a competitve marketplace.

wow....same fee here is like 20-25 bucks

one more reason i will never leave the south

seems as though he has been given a license to hold a monopoly over gun transfers...aren't monopolies against the law? or does that law not apply here since its D.C. and they can do whatever they want?

I like how the only FFL is in THE most dangerous part of DC.

quote:

Originally posted by marlinspike:
I like how the only FFL is in THE most dangerous part of DC.

Business is good.

While testifying yesterday at a DC City Council hearing on their gun laws, the police officer who is in charge of the gun control section indicated that he is aware of three other pending FFL applicants for DC. That would make 4 FFL's doing transfers. Competition should reduce the FFL's transfer fee from a reported $125 per gun to something more reasonable.