« A birthday present for Marion Hammer | Main | Virginia ruling on a "Terry" stop »
Only FFL in DC shuts down
Story here. Though I've got to wonder why losing an office lease would result in complete shutdown. An FFL who stocks a modest inventory of handgun samples doesn't have elaborate office needs. I suspect it might be more a matter of the new regulations reducing demand to where it can't support even a single FFL, at DC office rental prices.The ever-prescient Alan Gura mentioned this risk to me over a year ago.
There are actually several FFLs in DC, as I recall, but most are for research (necessary for interstate shipment of firearms) or other non-retail purposes.
Hat tip to reader Clayton Cramer...
4 Comments | Leave a comment
Mr. Sykes does not hold any inventory other than handguns he is holding while the customer goes through DC's convoluted registration process. Major problem here is that DC has has restricted zoning for an FFL so tightly that it is very difficult to find a location that is both available and properly zoned.
Hopefully, this situation will convince Congress to eliminate the requirement that handgun transfers occur in the state of residence of the purchaser.
That would be very nice, especially for residents of states like Massachusetts, where so-called "consumer protection" laws and regulations prohibit dealers from selling most handguns to customers. Of course, I'd expect that Congress would be more likely to implement a limited fix (e.g., allowing DC residents to purchase from dealers in either VA or MD), if they bother to do anything at all.
If you wonder why he doesn't carry any inventory, you might consider for a moment that DC law prohibits him from displaying any inventory he might have:
DC ST § 7-2504.07
Formerly cited as DC ST 1981 § 6-2347
(a) No licensed dealer shall display any firearm or ammunition in windows visible from a street or sidewalk. All firearms, destructive devices, and ammunition shall be kept at all times in a securely locked place affixed to the premises except when being shown to a customer, being repaired, or otherwise being worked on.
Mr. Sykes does not hold any inventory other than handguns he is holding while the customer goes through DC's convoluted registration process. Major problem here is that DC has has restricted zoning for an FFL so tightly that it is very difficult to find a location that is both available and properly zoned.
Hopefully, this situation will convince Congress to eliminate the requirement that handgun transfers occur in the state of residence of the purchaser.