Red tape and bureaucracy is just a reminder that what a government gives, it can take away, with even greater ease.
Posted on 01/24/2012 6:49:00 AM PST by Timber Rattler
After days of calls, emails, tweets, comments and posts, I finally bought the exact gun I wanted, the two-tone version of the Sig Sauer P229 9mm. I’m so excited to shoot my new purchase, but in the nation’s capital, it's not that simple. Buying a gun doesn’t mean you get to have the gun.
Washington, D.C. has a list of firearms that are eligible to be registered. The make, model and even the color (two-tone) of the gun I wanted was on the list, but I had a bear of a time finding one with a D.C.-legal 10-round magazine. The standard version has a 13-round capacity.
(snip)
And, that is the “but” in this story. Although I have paid and ordered the gun, I can’t take possession of it until it is transferred to Mr. Sykes, and I get an approved registration certificate.
In order to get this certificate, I still have to do the following: take a written test on the city’s firearm laws; get Mr. Sykes to fill out the application form; have the eligibility form notarized; get two passport photos and prove that my eyesight is better or equal to the driver’s license requirement (20/70 in best eye and field of vision of at least 140 degrees).
Next, I have to take all the forms to the registry office; pay $60 in fees; wait five days for the application to be approved; wait an additional five days for Mr. Sykes to be able to release my gun; and take the gun to the police for a ballistics test.
Finally, if I pass all of these steps, I should be able to take possession of the gun that I already bought.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Concealed carry permits must be issued by town Chiefs of Police and are deniable only for a few specific reasons. Costs $10 every five years to renew. In a few weeks, I'm going to buy a nice little J-frame pistol for the wife. The entire transaction will probably take no more than 25 minutes.
I have the XD.45 Compact. I don't know how many thousands of rounds have been through it. I have never had it jamb, hang up, missfire, etc. I've shot "a friends" hand packed ammo through it and it fired. I've experimented with the widest of hollow points and even those rubber tipped defense ammo. The gun fires them all. It and my .357 snubby are absolutely reliable. And that is comforting for self defense.
That gun is the only semi-auto that I have never had a single jamb with. Berretta, Glock, Kimber...
Ditto Indiana on purchase ease. But I got you on the carry permit. We used to have the 5 year thing. But now we are lifetime permit holders. We don't have to renew. I do recommend getting the cheap paper license laminated however.
Thanks - I do laminate my license, but we may be in luck. A bill currently before the NH legislature would eliminate the entire permit requirement - just like Alaska, Vermont and Arizona - Constitutional carry.
“Still not as bad as here in NY.
1st, I had to go to a gun shop and purchase a gun that I was not even allowed to touch. All I got was a purchase receipt to attach to my permit application.
2nd, Fill out an application, plus have 4 character questionnaires filled out by people that have known me at least 4 years, and live in the same county. These had to be notarized, and asked some pretty intrusive questions of my references, such as THEIR social security number, address and phone where THEY work...
3rd, wait about 5 weeks for an appointment to hand in the application, and be finger printed.
4th, Wait 6 months and 9 days for my application to be approved.
5th, Get my permit and voucher and return to the gun shop to finally get the gun that I bought 8 months ago.
Even now, it takes about a month to add a gun to my permit.”
That really depends upon the county where you live. In my county, both the Sheriff, who processes the application, and the judge, who approves the application, are true Americans with a healthy respect of the Second Amendment. Yes, the application is an irrational burden (why should it matter whether the references live in the same county as the applicant or across the street in an adjoining county?); but not nearly as onerous as you suggest. For example, in my county, the references are only required to have known the applicant for 6 months, not 4 years; the reference’s social security number is not required; and while the applicant must disclose the reference’s occupation and telephone number, the name and address of the reference’s employer is not a requirement. In addition, we are not required to pass a test on the state’s firearm laws, take a safey course, or pass a proficiency exam.
Assuming you can read and follow relatively simple, but irrational directions, the entire process in my county — from the submission of the application to the receipt of the permit — is about two months, and out of that time period, I waited six weeks for the interview to submit the application and two weeks to receive the permit.
In my county, the time to add a handgun to a permit is two to four weeks depending upon when the appplicant submits the one page application to the sheriff to update the permit. (All the applications go from the sheriff to the judge on Tuesday morning and from the judge back to the sheriff on the following Tuesday. The sheriff needs one to two business days to process the application before sending it to the judge and the outside vendor needs a few days to print the new permit once the application is approved by the judge. Throw in a few days to mail the new permit back to the applicant and the process takes 2 to 4 weeks.)
You are correct in that the a person is not allowed to legally handle a handgun at the gun shop prior to purchase unless he or she already has a valid permit. The solution is to get the permit first and then go shopping.
In additon to my XD-9 subcompact, I also have an XD-9 4" service model, which I keep in my truck or office. Both models have been flawless and I know this will get under the skin of our resident Glock-bots, but I'll take the XD over the Glock any day if given the choice.
The XD-9 subcompact is my CCW and it really does conceal nicely. With that said, I am awaiting delivery of a Ruger SP 101 2.25" .357 snubbie.
I do like the 1911 a lot. I just haven't found one yet that I like and can afford that conceals well.
My preference for the Springfield XD over the Glock is due to its use of safety features that the Glock lacks (grip and internal block) as well as its superior fit and finish. A much as I adore them for their brilliant design, traditional 1911’s are usually too heavy to serve as practical CC weapons (the pricey Kimber Ultra Carry II being a notable exception), so I opted for a compact version (the Taurus Millenium (.45ACP; 10 rounds in a double-stack mag, polymer frame and captive-spring assembly). Fits right in the small of my back in an inside waistband holster; it features close tolerance manufacturing and is quite accurate, even at longer range.
It does not sound like you live in the United States. We have a Constitution here that has this amendment:
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
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