No seller shall within the District of Columbia deliver a firearm to the purchaser thereof until 10 days shall have elapsed from the date of the purchase thereof, except in the case of sales to marshals, sheriffs, prison or jail wardens or their deputies, policemen, or other duly appointed law enforcement officers, and, when delivered, said firearm shall be transported in accordance with § 22-4504.02. At the time of purchase, the purchaser shall sign in duplicate and deliver to the seller a statement containing his or her full name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, the date of purchase, the caliber, make, model, and manufacturer’s number of the firearm and a statement that the purchaser is not forbidden by § 22-4503 to possess a firearm. The seller shall, within 6 hours after purchase, sign and attach his or her address and deliver one copy to such person or persons as the Chief of Police of the District of Columbia may designate, and shall retain the other copy for 6 years. No machine gun, sawed-off shotgun, or blackjack shall be sold to any person other than the persons designated in § 22-4514 as entitled to possess the same, and then only after permission to make such sale has been obtained from the Chief of Police of the District of Columbia. This section shall not apply to sales at wholesale to licensed dealers.
(July 8, 1932, 47 Stat. 652, ch. 465, § 8; June 29, 1953, 67 Stat. 94, ch. 159, § 204(e); May 21, 1994, D.C. Law 10-119, § 15(g), 41 DCR 1639; May 20, 2009, D.C. Law 17-388, § 2(g), 56 DCR 1162; Sept. 29, 2012, D.C. Law 19-170, § 3(f), 59 DCR 5691.)
Prior Codifications1981 Ed., § 22-3208.
1973 Ed., § 22-3208.
Effect of AmendmentsD.C. Law 17-388 substituted “firearm” for “pistol”; substituted “10 days” for “48 hours”; and substituted “shall be transported in accordance with § 22-4504.02” for “shall be securely wrapped and shall be unloaded”.
The 2012 amendment by D.C. Law 19-170 in the first sentence, substituted “date of the” for “time of the application for the”; in the second sentence, substituted “time of purchase” for “time of applying for the purchase of a firearm,” substituted “date and” for “color,” substituted “date of purchase” for “date and hour of application,” deleted “to be purchased” following “of the firearm,”; and substituted “purchase” for “such application” in the third sentence.
Emergency LegislationFor temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(g) of Inoperable Pistol Emergency Amendment Act of 2008 (D.C. Act 17-652, January 6, 2009, 56 DCR 927).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(g) of Inoperable Pistol Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-24, March 16, 2009, 56 DCR 2309).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2 of Transfer Emergency Amendment Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19-69, May 13, 2011, 58 DCR 4256).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 3(f) of Firearms Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-352, May 11, 2012, 59 DCR 5116).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 3(f) of the Firearms Amendments Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-394, July 18, 2012, 59 DCR 8694).
For temporary amendment of section, see § 3(f) of the Firearms Second Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-510, October 26, 2012, 59 DCR 12808).