D.C. residents hoping to legally bring a handgun into their home will have to wait a little longer, District officials said.
That includes Dick Heller, the plaintiff whose challenge to D.C.’s handgun ban led to the Supreme Court’s historic decision.
But Heller’s attorney Alan Gura said the District already has a mechanism in place to register rifles or shotguns at the policeheadquarters and his client shouldn’t have to wait.
“They are open for business every day to register rifles and shotguns,” Gura said. “There’s no reason why they can’t accept a handgun applicant.”
The Supreme Court won’t formally force the city to stop enforcing its handgun ban for about a month, city officials said, and the Metropolitan Police Department says it needs three weeks to create regulations to establish a process for registering handguns.
Until the registration process is in place, the District is offering amnesty to citizens like Heller who already own a handgun, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.
Residents who are found with handguns in their home won’t be charged if the gun was not used in a crime and the individual could qualify for registration, Lanier said.
Interim D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said the city will continue enforcing gun controls that the court did not overturn.
“This is not open season for handguns,” Nickles said.
Automatic handguns will remain illegal, he said, as will those capable of firing 12 or more rounds without reloading. Felons and people with a history of mental illness will be prohibited from owning handguns, and residents will have to take a test to show they understand the city’s laws.
Because federal law prohibits citizens from going out of the city to buy handguns, residents hoping to buy a handgun in D.C. also will have to wait until a gun shop opens up. Residents with questions about the city’s gun laws can call 202-727-4275.
