Saturday, February 27, 2010

In the capitol of the Land of the Free...

The second amendment of the US constitution absolutely applies. Yes, sir.

Of course, there are some common-sense regulations involved. This Examiner article by Kris Hammond outlines the steps law-abiding citizens need to follow if they want to own a handgun in Mordor-by-the-Potomac. And the fees they'll need to pay...
The registration process adds substantially to the cost of the firearm. If a firearm is purchased for $450, the new owner must thereafter contend with the following expenses:

* $22.50 Virginia sales tax
* $25 shipment fee
* $125 gun class fee (may be more depending on the instructor)
* $125 gun dealer transfer fee
* $12 passport photos
* $13 application fee
* $12 ballistics test fee
* $35 fingerprinting / FBI background check fee

The total fees and taxes are $369.50, nearly doubling the actual cost of a $450 firearm to $819.50.
That doesn't buy the "right" to actually carry the handgun, of course, because that privilege is reserved for your betters (and criminals, of course.) But never let it be said you can't own a handgun in DC. No, sir.

Where I live, there are two steps required for purchasing any sort of firearm.
  1. Find somebody who wants to sell the gun you want to buy.
  2. Buy it.

3 comments:

George Potter said...

Find somebody who wants to sell the gun you want to buy.

Buy it.


Cheerfully, this isn't actually location dependant. It's available to anyone, anywhere, so long as they have studied and philosophized their way to intellectual enlightenment vis-a-vis individual vs. The Law, as scholars and deep thinkers such as ourselves have done.

Or anyone who paid attention to how Ol' Alex solved that GordianKnot problem. ;)

Thunder said...

Find somebody who wants to sell the gun you want to buy.

Buy it.


Which is the exact process for buying a gun in VA from a private seller.

Joel said...

Yes, my subtlety-fu was not strong yesterday. That's the procedure everywhere

I've nothing against FFLs, poor sods. But a lot of people, myself included, really prefer to do that sort of business without imperial entanglements.