DC Guns

The Right to a Level Playing Field

2009-08-08T07:37:00.003-04:00

Kudos to Alan Gura for filing a lawsuit this week seeking to enforce our right to carry concealed. The liberal-leaning Washington Post sought to bury the story (running it in the Metro section on a Saturday - two full days after the suit was filed), but even so, this case is likely to garner great attention.

According to the article in today's Washington Post (click here for the story), the District must respond to the suit by August 26.

In that Post article, the District's Attorney General Peter Nickles is quoted saying, "The last place you want to conceal is in the District, with all of these federal buildings."

I'm not certain I understand what Nickles is trying to say. Is he paranoid about something having to do with federal buildings?

I guess my response is, "General Nickles, the last place I want to be prevented from concealing is near my home, in the District, with all my family. The inability to carry when I walk my family several blocks to a restaurant, park, or baseball game leaves me as a law-abiding citizen in a defenseless position."

Ramblings

2009-08-02T19:46:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's Sunday, August 2nd and I'm thinking I need another pistol. I need a rifle, too, but that can wait a little. And so I'm shopping for a pistol, and the great thing is that no matter where I buy what I buy, I'm going to have to pay $125 more than anyone else who lives outside of the D of C. That makes me a little upset. It's not that I can't afford the extra $100; it's just that I have to. DC gun laws bite.

Anyone have any idea how to avoid the excessive transfer fee?

Obama Vs. Common Sense

2009-07-24T07:13:00.002-04:00

Gun enthusiasts, we have an issue. In the situation of Prof. Gates vs. Cambridge Police, do we side with the police, or the average citizen when the citizen is arrested on his porch? As a citizen, I'd be appalled if I were arrested on the porch of my home. But we need to look at why the citizen was arrested on his porch.

By the police report, we see that although the police were originally investigating a report of a possible break-in (Gates' residence had been broken into recently while the Prof was away on "holiday"), Gates was arrested for his "loud and tumultuous behavior," NOT, as media and the President might lead you to believe, for being a black man in a nice neighborhood.

There's no need to belabor the point that Gates' responded to the police inquiry with no respect for the authorities, except to say when the police showed up to protect Gates and his belongings from potential harm, Prof. Gates was a jerk. Had I been a jerk to police, I'd expect them to do the same to me.

So how do we wind up with the President of the United States using a split infinitive to berate the actions of a police department? I guess President Obama fell into the same trap other pols do when they act on less than complete information. See this exchange from his Wednesday night news conference.

Here's the exchange:

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Recently Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested at his home in Cambridge. What does that incident say to you and what does it say about race relations in America?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I should say at the outset that "Skip" Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all the facts.

(Intervening attempts at humor)

THE PRESIDENT: Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge Police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact.

-End of transcript-

So there we have it. The President admits he doesn't know the facts, but immediately finds guilt in the actions of police authorities. I know how most gun enthusiasts feel, "Stay off my property!" but in reality, here are some simple facts:

Prof. Gates has made his name, his career, his whole meaning in life based on racism.

Police are charged with investigating potential wrong-doing and protecting the public.

Prof. Gates demonstrated no respect for authorities (we can debate this later) and taunted them "stupidly" and walked outside his door.

Once outside his domicile, Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct (should have stayed in your house, dude).

Enough from me... what are your thoughts?

Confounded by 2 votes

2009-07-22T16:04:00.003-04:00

In the Senate this afternoon, we needed 60 votes to attach patriot Sen. John Thune's national CCW standard to the Defense Authorization bill. We fell two short. Please use your phones, emails, letters, and presence at their public events to let the following senators know they were on the wrong side of this fundamental issue:

Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lugar (R-IN) (RINO)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

UPDATE: CCW Vote Pending in US Senate

2009-07-21T21:04:00.003-04:00

Patriot and all around great American, U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is pursuing his amendment to the Defense Authorization package to standardize concealed-carry regs all across our U.S. of A. The Senate vote is expected around noon on Wednesday, July 22nd.

For those who would say, "What is a concealed-carry amendment doing on a defense authorization bill?" Here's the rationale:

The liberal Dems, with their new-found strength in numbers, decided to attach so-called "Hate Crimes" legislation to the Defense Auth bill. In plain English, this means the Dems found it suitable to attach crap, liberal agenda stuff having nothing to do with how our military operates, to the military operations bill. Turnabout is fair play, right? More power to Sen. Thune.

CCW Common Sense

2009-07-21T07:37:00.004-04:00

So the U.S. Senate today is set to vote to make your state's CCW valid in all states that respect a CCW. This is great news and even better is the popular thought it can pass. This is part of patriot Sen. John Thune's (R-SD) effort to bring some common sense to the patchwork of CCW laws currently on the books.

The Washington Post (liberal bastion) reports Dems are peeling off to support this common sense and right thing to do.

Click here to see Shailagh Murray's article. Funny she reports about the 400 mayors who've voiced opposition to Sen. Patriot Thune's amendment, but leaves silent the thousands of other mayors who probably think this is a pretty good idea.

50 DC Gun Registrations Refused

2009-06-25T07:43:00.002-04:00

Small item posted on the MPDC Gun Registration information page...

"Since the Heller decision, about 50 applications to register handguns have been denied. This may have been for a variety of reasons unrelated to the safe handgun list, including that the individual was not eligible to register a handgun. MPD is reviewing these applications to evaluate whether the handgun might be eligible for registration under these new regulations, and will follow up with the applicants. In the meantime, individuals whose applications were rejected because the handgun was not eligible to be registered are also welcome to contact MPD’s Firearms Registration Section."

Read this, "Oops. If you were rejected because the color of your gun scared some of our council members, you might now be able to own your firearm legally... even if it is drab olive green."

Is that a gun in your pocket? Or do you just live in DC...

2009-06-21T17:14:00.007-04:00

In case you're looking for the new list of guns now legal to register in the District of Columbia, here are a couple links until DC gov updates their page. The great news is the Smith & Wesson Performance Center 945 is now LEGAL!!! It's an awesome shooter. It has a bushing at the business end of the barrel that keeps things straight and on target. Buy one today.

Maryland's "OK" gun list is available here.

Massachusetts's "OK" gun list is available here.

In case you forgot what's already on DC's "approved" list, click here.

It seems we need an editorial comment on the "approved guns" list. Comment if you like; my word is unless it's fully automatic, it's okay to own (sorry to offend those of you who prefer Class 3 firearms; I'm sure I'm persuadable to legalize those, too).

DC GUN DEBATE RAGES?? Nope.

2009-06-21T09:27:00.005-04:00

A few folks have made a habit out of making every shooting that happens in the District a call to revisit DC gun laws. The funniest incident had to be the DC council member whose intern was busted for shooting up a Metro stop...

The most tragic had to be the shooting outside of the Holocaust Museum. Oddly enough, our great mayor, Mayor Adrian Fenty, brought some reason to the question (no doubt posed by some left-leaning reporter, though that doesn't narrow the field, does it?).

See the mayor's quote:

Fenty was asked if this would have an effect on D.C.’s gun laws: “I think that unfortunately these types of things happen throughout the country and throughout the world.”In closing up the conference, Fenty dubbed this “an extremely isolated incident.”

Score one for common sense. Thanks, Mayor!

How to Legally Posess a Gun in DC

2009-06-20T11:42:00.003-04:00

I went through the process, and you can too. Don't be discouraged, intimidated, or paranoid about the process. Yes, it sucks. But wouldn't your facing an armed intruder in your home suck even more if you didn't have a gun?

This is the process I did. This is for pistol only. Shotgun and rifles do not have to be ballistic tested.

1) Ensure the firearm you desire to purchase and register is on the list of "approved" firearms for California, Massachusetts, or Maryland.

2) Purchase firearm outside the District, because DC currently has no firearm sales shops.

3) Inform the dealer you want to perform an FFL to FFL transfer and for them to please hold the firearm.

4) Contact the FFL dealer in DC (there's only one doing business for public citizens, Charles Sykes - great guy) and have him fax a copy of his FFL to the place where you bought the firearm.

5) Confirm with the outside-the-District FFL that he has received the proper information and will ship the firearm to the DC FFL.

6) Wait for the DC FFL to inform you your firearm has arrived.

7) Set an appointment with the DC FFL to visit his office (office hours are 10:30 to 1pm M-Sat; the office is in the worst part of DC for crime).

8) Visit the DC FFL at his office and fill out paperwork. Pay DC FFL $125 transfer fee in cash or Money Order.

9) Take paperwork from DC FFL and visit DC's Metropolitan Police Department's Gun Registration office.

9a) Present DC FFL paperwork;

9b) Present notarized statement of mental competency;

9c) Present certificate of firearm safety course completion (4 hours class time and 1 hour range time);

9d) Present 2 passport sized photos;

9e) Fill out additional form stating you understand firearms can be dangerous;

9f) Leave the DCPD Registration office and go to the Treasure's office and pay $48 (cash or money order) for fingerprints and gun registration;

9g) Return to the DCPD Registration office and be fingerprinted; and

9h) Take the District's gun quiz which has very little, if ANYTHING, to do with firearm safety. Pass the quiz by not missing 5 questions.

10) Wait five days.

11) Call the DCPD Registration office to determine whether the application is ready for pickup. If it is, proceed to step 12!

12) Pick up your approved registration in person. You could have it mailed to you, but why?

13) Make an appointment with the DC FFL to meet at his office for the firearm transfer.

14) Take the firearm to the DCPD for a ballistics test. LOCK THE FIREARM IN A BOX DURING TRANSFER. The desk officer will take your pistol and send you to the Treasurer's office.

15) Go to the Treasure's office and pay $12 cash or money order.

16) Return to the DCPD for the ballistics test and wait (usually allow an hour).

17) On completion of ballistics test, return home with your firearm and VIOLA!! You're DONE!!! LOCK IT during transport. Failure to do so could result in y'all losin' your right to bear arms.

Gun Enthusiasts: 2 DC Council: 0

2009-06-20T11:36:00.002-04:00

FORCED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAW: DC Council

This is great news: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/19/AR2009061901822.html?hpid=topnews

Washington, DC's City Council is being dragged kicking and screaming to the place where our 2nd Amendment rights are respected. If you visit the Washington Post (i know, barf) Web site and take a look at this story, you'll see the DC government was essentially forced to reject their own discrimination of firearms based on appearance.

What? Firearms discriminated against based on appearance? That'd never happen (assault weapons ban, anyone?)...

Some Guy on Gunbroker.com

2009-06-20T10:16:00.001-04:00

IGNORANT OR COMPLICIT AGAINST LEGAL GUN OWNERS: Some guy on gunbroker.com

I was surfing ammunition on gunbroker.com the other day and came across someone's post who warned, "Don't bid if it's illegal for you to own this including California, Massachusetts, Washington, DC, etc."

Owning ammunition is NOT ILLEGAL in Washington, DC. I've had police and NRA legal folks tell me, "If they'll ship it to you, it's legal."

I've had 37 pounds of ammo shipped to my stoop. I've had 5,000 primers shipped here. IT'S ALL LEGAL. What in the world is wrong with folks??

The Problem with Cabela's

2009-06-20T10:04:00.006-04:00

I created this blog to vent about a couple of things. Primarily, I'd like folks to know who's with 'em and who's against 'em.

DECIDING AGAINST LEGAL GUN OWNERS: Cabela's and Bass Pro.

Try going online and ordering ammunition from Cabela's if you live in the District of Columbia. They're NOT going to sell it to you. Customer service says they're not allowed. The legal folks at the NRA tell me Cabela's is WRONG, but they have a right to be wrong. I agree. But I also thought you'd like to know who your friends are. Bass Pro, same thing.

If you're a legal eagle and can tell me why a legal gun owner in DC shouldn't be able to buy ammo online from Cabela's, let me know. Are they running background checks on folks in other states who aren't supposed to obtain ammo?

Thanks for reading and expect more on Cabela's soon.

A Blog for All

2009-06-20T09:53:00.004-04:00

Hey, welcome to my web log. I'm a real, live registered gun owner in Washington, DC. I believe in the power of the 2nd Amendment and thank our founding fathers every day for their wisdom and foresight. Owning a gun in DC is quite an experience. I'll recount what it took to become a gun owner (post Heller decision because I'm no lawyer) and the discrimination folks like me face on a daily basis.

I hope you enjoy what you see here and please feel free to leave anonymous comments.

With both eyes open and on target, I am...