There are places where you just don’t go with your firearms. Any gun owner knows them; any person who staunchly supports Second Amendment rights knows them; any person who knows gun laws knows them.
Save for Vermont, which has GREAT laws supporting the Second Amendment (you don’t need a permit for concealed carry), much of the Northeast is pretty much off limits to law-abiding gun owners from out of state. In most cases, the only Northeastern state that has reciprocity concerning concealed carry permit holders is Pennsylvania, whose laws on the subject aren’t bad. But, everyone should know that it’s never a good idea to bring a gun into the District of Columbia. Additionally, everyone should know that it’s even more insane to try and carry in the District of Columbia.
On July 18, Rep. Tom Marino’s press secretary, Ryan Shucard, was arrested for bringing his Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun into the Cannon House Office Building (via Roll Call):
Shucard entered the southeast door of Cannon with the weapon. The Smith & Wesson 9mm and magazine were found during the search required for entry into the building, according to Schneider. People entering Cannon, including those with staff identification badges, like Shucard, are required to step through metal detectors and place bags on the belt of an X-Ray machine.
Shucard is charged with carrying a pistol without a license, a felony. He is currently being processed at Capitol Police headquarters
Today, another man, Ronald William Prestage, was arrested in the same building for carrying a 9mm Ruger handgun. Prestage is from South Carolina and has a concealed carry permit in that state, but DC doesn’t permit open or concealed carry. If you’re caught, you face a $5,000 fine, a five-year prison sentence, or both.
Hopefully, there will be a day when DC honors concealed carry permit holders, permits open carry, and becomes more friendly to gun rights, but until that time; it’s a wise choice for every gun owner to not bring their firearms into DC.