Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Guns in Vehicles in Washington DC.’ Guns in Public. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 21 November
Relevant contents
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]
Guns in Vehicles in the District of Columbia
Transportation of firearms in a vehicle is permitted in the District if the person is not prohibited from transporting, shipping or receiving a firearm, and is transporting a firearm for a lawful purpose to and from a place where gun possession is a lawful activity. The gun must be unloaded, and neither the gun nor any ammunition may be accessible from the passenger compartment. If the vehicle does not have a compartment separate from the driver's compartment, the firearm and ammunition must be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console, and the firearm must be unloaded.
The District prohibits a person from being voluntarily in a motor vehicle if he or she knows that a firearm is in the vehicle, unless the firearm is being lawfully carried or lawfully transported. An affirmative defense to this charge may be raised that the defendant, upon learning that a firearm was in the vehicle, had the specific intent to immediately leave the vehicle, but did not have a reasonable opportunity under the circumstances to do so.
If a firearm is transported in a manner other than in a vehicle, the firearm shall be:
1) unloaded;
2) inside a locked container; and
3) separate from any ammunition.