Are Guns Allowed in DC? Registration, Carry, and Penalties

Guns are allowed in Washington, DC, but the District runs one of the strictest firearms regimes in the country. Every firearm must be registered with the Metropolitan Police Department, several categories of weapons are banned outright, open carry is prohibited, and carrying a concealed handgun requires a DC-issued license backed by 18 hours of training. No out-of-state concealed carry permit is recognized, so a Virginia or Maryland license carries no weight the moment you cross into the District.

Who Can Legally Own a Gun in DC

You must be at least 21 to register and possess a firearm. There is one narrow exception: an 18-to-20-year-old may register a long gun if a parent or guardian provides a notarized statement accepting civil liability for any damage the weapon causes.¹

You are disqualified if any of the following apply:

A felony conviction, no matter how old
Certain misdemeanor convictions within the past five years
A pending indictment for a crime of violence or a weapons offense
A history of mental health commitment, voluntary or involuntary, unless a court has granted relief
A pattern of violent behavior in the five years before applying
A prior finding of negligence in a firearm incident that caused death or serious injury

These bars apply to handguns and long guns alike.¹

Firearms You Cannot Register at All

Meeting the personal eligibility requirements is not enough if the weapon itself is on the prohibited list. DC bans:

Sawed-off shotguns
Machine guns
Short-barreled rifles
Weapons classified as “assault weapons” under DC law
.50 BMG rifles
Ghost guns, including unserialized frames and receivers

DC also prohibits pistols that were not validly registered in the District before September 24, 1976, with exceptions for self-defense in the home or business, concealed carry license applicants, retired Metropolitan Police officers, and firearms instructors.² Separately, any handgun not on the California Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale (as of January 1, 2009) is treated as “unsafe” and cannot be sold, transferred, or imported into DC.³

One note on magazines: DC long banned possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds, but in March 2026 the DC Court of Appeals ruled in Benson v. United States that the ban violates the Second Amendment. This area of law is in flux, so check current MPD guidance before relying on it.

Registering a Firearm With MPD

Every gun in DC must be registered with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Firearms Registration Section. Possessing an unregistered firearm is a criminal offense, with no grace period.⁴

You apply in person, bringing identification, proof of DC residency, firearm details (make, model, serial number), and proof that you have completed a firearms safety training course. Fingerprinting is part of the process. The registration fee is $13, plus a $35 fingerprinting and background check fee.⁵

Registrations no longer expire. The old three-year renewal requirement was struck down by a federal appeals court on Second Amendment grounds. You still have to report changes such as a new address or a lost or stolen firearm.

Ammunition Rules

You can only possess ammunition if you hold a valid firearm registration certificate, and the ammunition must match the caliber or gauge of your registered gun. Buying 9mm rounds when your only registered pistol is a .45 is a violation. This is one of the tighter ammunition rules in the country and catches owners used to buying freely elsewhere.

Carrying a Handgun in DC

You cannot carry a pistol in DC — openly or concealed — without a Concealed Carry License. Open carry is effectively banned because no open-carry permit exists.⁶

Getting a Concealed Carry License

DC is a “shall issue” jurisdiction, meaning MPD must grant a CCL to any applicant who meets the requirements. You must:

Be at least 21
Already hold a valid DC registration for the pistol you intend to carry
Have no disqualifying mental health conditions
Complete 16 hours of classroom training and 2 hours of range instruction with an MPD-certified instructor, covering safety, marksmanship, and DC and federal firearms law

The training requirement is among the most demanding in the country.⁷ The CCL application fee is $75, plus $35 for fingerprinting; the training course cost is separate and varies by instructor.⁵ When carrying, you must have both your CCL and your firearm registration certificate on you. Private businesses can post signs banning firearms, and you must comply.

No Reciprocity With Any Other State

DC recognizes no concealed carry permit issued by any other state. A Virginia or Maryland permit has zero legal effect in the District. Non-residents can apply for a DC license, but they still have to meet every DC requirement, including the full 18-hour training course. The penalty for carrying without a DC license runs up to five years in prison, so this is not a technicality to work around.

Where You Still Cannot Carry

Even with a CCL, DC prohibits carrying in a long list of places:

Buildings and offices occupied by DC government agencies
The buildings, grounds, and adjacent parking lots of childcare facilities, preschools, and all schools, public or private
Hospitals and offices primarily offering medical or mental health services
Prisons, secure juvenile facilities, and halfway houses
Polling places while voting is taking place
Metrorail trains, Metrorail stations, and other public transit vehicles
Any premises licensed to serve or sell alcohol for on-site consumption
Stadiums and arenas
The National Mall and Tidal Basin memorials
Any area where federal law independently prohibits firearms

These restrictions are enforced by the Metropolitan Police.⁸ Combined with the heavy federal footprint in central DC, the list leaves relatively few locations downtown where lawful carry is actually possible.

Transporting a Firearm Without a CCL

If you are moving a firearm through DC without a carry license — bringing home a newly purchased gun, for example — the rules are strict. In a vehicle, the firearm must be unloaded and stored so neither it nor the ammunition is accessible from the passenger compartment. If the vehicle has no separate trunk, both the gun and the ammunition must be in a locked container, and the glove compartment and center console do not count.⁹

Outside a vehicle, say walking from your car to your home, the gun must be unloaded, inside a locked container, and separate from any ammunition. CCL holders are exempt and may carry their registered handgun concealed on their person while in a vehicle.⁹

Safe Storage at Home

DC’s general policy is that firearms should be stored unloaded and either disassembled or secured with a trigger lock, gun safe, or locked container. When a minor under 18 is likely to gain access, that policy becomes a legal mandate: the firearm must be in a locked box or secure container, or kept on your person or within immediate reach.¹⁰

Violating the storage law in a situation involving a minor is charged as criminally negligent storage of a firearm. The base penalty is up to $1,000 in fines, up to 180 days in jail, or both. If a minor accesses the gun and causes injury or death, the ceiling climbs to $5,000 in fines, up to five years in prison, or both.¹⁰

Penalties for Firearm Violations

Registration and licensing violations carry serious consequences in DC.

Possessing an unregistered firearm:

First offense: up to one year in jail, a fine, or both
Second offense: up to five years in prison, a fine, or both¹¹

Carrying a pistol without a license:

First offense: up to five years in prison, a fine, or both
Repeat offense or applicant with a prior felony: up to ten years in prison, a fine, or both⁶

The jump from a one-year registration offense to a five-year unlicensed-carry charge is deliberate. Carrying without a DC license is one of the more aggressively prosecuted gun offenses in the District.

Self-Defense and Use of Force

DC courts have described the District’s self-defense law as a middle-ground approach. You are not required to retreat before using deadly force if you genuinely and reasonably believe you face death or serious bodily harm, but the law expects you to take reasonable steps to avoid a lethal confrontation when doing so is consistent with your own safety.¹²

For home defense, DC generally permits deadly force if you reasonably believe an intruder is entering your home or business intending to commit a felony or seriously harm the occupants. The contours of DC’s castle doctrine have been shaped largely by case law, and the rules can shift with the facts.¹² Deadly force cannot be used solely to protect property. Whatever force you use must be proportional, necessary to prevent imminent harm, and based on a reasonable belief that lethal force is the only option.

1
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 7-2502.03
2
D.C. Law Library. DC Code 7-2502.02 – Registration of Certain Firearms Prohibited
3
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 7-2505.04 – Prohibition on Sale, Transfer, Ownership, or Possession of Designated Unsafe Pistol
4
D.C. Law Library. DC Code 7-2502.01 – Registration Requirements
5
MPDC. Fees and Payment
6
D.C. Law Library. DC Code 22-4504 – Carrying Concealed Weapons
7
D.C. Law Library. DC Code 7-2509.02 – Application Requirements
8
D.C. Law Library. DC Code 7-2509.07 – Prohibitions on Carrying Licensed Pistols
9
MPDC. Transporting Firearms
10
D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 7-2507.02 – Responsibilities Regarding Storage of Firearms
11
D.C. Law Library. DC Code 7-2507.06 – Penalties
12
MPDC. District Law Pertaining to Self Defense