As of January 4, 2021, the Metropolitan Police Department no longer offers handgun transfer services. Instead, private Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) are handling this service.^[1]

According to Washington D.C. law, the buyer must complete a Firearms Registration Application Statement of Eligibility, which confirms the buyer is not:

• Under the age of 21 (except individuals between 18 and 21 with authorization from a parent or guardian);
• Convicted of a weapons offense or a felony punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
• Under indictment for a weapons offense or violent crime;
• Convicted within the past five years for narcotics or dangerous drug offenses, a threat to do bodily harm or assault;
• Acquitted of any criminal charge because of insanity or adjudicated a chronic alcoholic by any court within the past five years;
• Committed to any mental hospital or institution within the past five  years;
• Suffering from a physical defect that makes it unsafe to possess a weapon;
• Found negligent in any firearm-related mishap causing death or injury to another person;
• Convicted of a misdemeanor intrafamily offense;
• Dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces;
• A non-citizen;
• Legally blind;
• Convicted of two or more violations for driving under the influence within the past five years;
• The subject of a civil protection order within the past five years;
• Convicted of negligent storage of a firearm or a violation of the Firearms Registration Act within the past five years; or
• A person with a history of violent behavior within the past five years.

The form also asks the buyer to confirm they have completed firearms training provided free of charge by the Metropolitan Police Department.

In Washington, D.C., the buyer or the handgun dealer should contact an Authorized DC Federal Firearms License Dealer. The dealer will confirm receipt. When the firearm has been received, the buyer pays $120 or $125 (depending on the licensed dealer) to initiate an appointment. Photo ID and proof of Washington D.C. residency (e.g., utility bill, bank statement, vehicle registration, voter registration, mortgage statement, etc.) should be brought to an appointment. During the appointment, the buyer undergoes a background check and completes an Application for Firearms Registration Certificate (PD-219) and a Firearms Registration Application Statement of Eligibility.

This sums up the transfer process. Next, the firearm must be registered with the Metropolitan Police Department. Make an appointment, and bring a photo ID, two documents proving residency in the District of Columbia, the Application for Firearms Registration Certificate, the Firearms Registration Application Statement of Eligibility, a Bill of Sale, and $48 (or $13 if MPD has already fingerprinted buyer) to the appointment. A certificate showing completion of an Online Firearms Safety Training Course, which takes 30 minutes, should also be provided.

Once all the required steps have been taken, the FFL dealer will contact the buyer to pick up the firearm.

Concealed carry in the District of Columbia requires a Concealed Carry Pistol License. To be eligible to apply for this license, an applicant must be 21 years of age, possess a registered firearm, and must not suffer or have suffered within the last five years from a mental illness or any condition that creates a substantial risk of danger to self or others.^[2] The applicant must also have completed a firearms training course. The Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department has discretion whether or not to issue a concealed carry permit. View a list of places where a concealed firearm may not be carried.

How to Apply

1. Complete a Concealed Carry Pistol License Application. If the applicant answers “yes” to the question asking whether they have suffered from a mental illness within the past five years, he or she must also include a notarized document from a registered psychologist or psychiatrist stating that the patient was examined and is no longer suffering from a condition that creates substantial risk.
2. Attach all required evidence. The application asks for two documents proving residence in the District of Columbia or the United States and a Certificate of Completion from a firearms training program in the District of Columbia.
3. Submit the application and attachments to the Firearms Registration Section at 300 Indiana Ave. NW, Room 3077, Washington DC 20001 between Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The next step is to be photographed and fingerprinted (if fingerprints are not already on file).
4. Pay the $75 application fee by credit card, cashier’s check, certified check, or money order payable to the D.C. Treasurer. Personal checks are not accepted. Fingerprinting is an additional $35.

Reciprocity

Washington, D.C. does not recognize permits issued by any other jurisdiction.