Updated September 13, 2023
A Washington D.C. firearm bill of sale is a document that allows the legal purchase of a firearm between a buyer and seller in the District of Columbia. After the trade has been made for the firearm, the bill of sale should be signed. Under Washington D.C. law, there are strict restrictions on those who may purchase a firearm.
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Privately Purchasing a Firearm
As of January 4, 2021, the Metropolitan Police Department is no longer offering handgun transfer services. Instead, private Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) are handling this service.[1]
Prohibited from Buying
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 (1) year;
- Under indictment for a weapons offense or violent crime;
- Convicted within the past five (5) years for narcotics or dangerous drug offenses, a threat to do bodily harm, or assault;
- Acquitted of any criminal charge by reason of insanity or adjudicated a chronic alcoholic by any court within the past five (5) years;
- Committed to any mental hospital or institution within the past five (5) 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 (5) years;
- The subject of a civil protection order within the past five (5) years;
- Convicted of negligent storage of a firearm or a violation of the Firearms Registration Act within the past five (5) years; or
- A person with a history of violent behavior within the past five (5) years.
The form also asks the buyer to confirm they have completed firearms training provided free of charge by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Registering a Firearm
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 either $120 or $125 (depending on the license 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 buyer has already been fingerprinted by MPD) 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
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 twenty-one (21) years of age, possess a registered firearm, and must not suffer or have suffered within the last five (5) 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
Step 1 – Complete a Concealed Carry Pistol License Application. If the applicant answers “yes” to the question that asks whether he or she has suffered from a mental illness within the past five (5) years, he or she must also include a notarized document from a registered psychologist or psychiatrist that states the patient was examined and is no longer suffering from a condition that creates substantial risk.
Step 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.
Step 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).
Step 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.