{"data":{"id":"us-dc/d.c.-code-22-4503","jurisdiction":"us-dc","citation":"D.C. Code § 22-4503","heading":"Unlawful possession of firearm.","body":"(a)\nNo person shall own or keep a firearm, or have a firearm in his or her possession or under his or her control, within the District of Columbia, if the person:\n(1)\nHas been convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;\n(2)\nIs not licensed under § 22-4510 to sell weapons, and the person has been convicted of violating this chapter;\n(3)\nIs a fugitive from justice;\n(4)\nIs addicted to any controlled substance, as defined in § 48-901.02(4);\n(5)\nIs subject to a court order that:\n(A)\n(i)\nWas issued after a hearing of which the person received actual notice, and at which the person had an opportunity to participate; or\n(ii)\nRemained in effect after the person failed to appear for a hearing of which the person received actual notice;\n(B)\nRestrains the person from assaulting, harassing, stalking, or threatening any person named in the order, or requires the person to stay away from, or have no contact with, any other person or a location; and\n(C)\nRequires the person to relinquish possession of any firearms; or\n(6)\nHas been convicted within the past 5 years of:\n(A)\nAn intrafamily offense, as that term is defined in § 16-1001(8), or any similar provision in the law of another jurisdiction; or\n(B)\nStalking or attempted stalking, pursuant to Chapter 31A of this title, or any similar provision in the law of another jurisdiction.\n\n(b)\n(1)\nA person who violates subsection (a)(1) of this section shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 10 years and shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a mandatory-minimum term of 1 year, unless she or he has a prior conviction for a crime of violence other than conspiracy, in which case she or he shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years and shall be sentenced to a mandatory-minimum term of 3 years.\n(2)\nA person sentenced to a mandatory-minimum term of imprisonment under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not be released from prison or granted probation or suspension of sentence prior to serving the mandatory-minimum sentence.\n(3)\nIn addition to any other penalty provided under this subsection, a person may be fined an amount not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01.\n\n(c)\nA person who violates subsection (a)(2) through (a)(6) of this section shall be sentenced to not less than 2 years nor more than 10 years, fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, or both.\n\n(c-1)\n(1)\nIt shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to possess or receive any firearm which has had the importer's or manufacturer's serial number removed, obliterated, or altered.\n(2)\nIt shall be unlawful for any person to receive, possess, conceal, store, barter, sell, or dispose of any stolen firearm or stolen ammunition, or pledge or accept as security for a loan any stolen firearm or stolen ammunition, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe  that the firearm or ammunition was stolen.\n\n(c-2)\nA person who violates subsection (c-1) of this section shall upon conviction be fined no more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, or incarcerated no less than 2 years nor more than 5 years, or both.\n\n(d)\nFor the purposes of this section, the term:\n(1)\n“Crime of violence” shall have the same meaning as provided in § 23-1331(4), or a crime under the laws of any other jurisdiction that involved conduct that would constitute a crime of violence if committed in the District of Columbia, or conduct that is substantially similar to that prosecuted as a crime of violence under the District of Columbia Official Code.\n(2)\n“Fugitive from justice” means a person who has:\n(A)\nFled to avoid prosecution for a crime or to avoid giving testimony in a criminal proceeding; or\n(B)\nEscaped from a federal, state, or local prison, jail, halfway house, or detention facility or from the custody of a law enforcement officer.","path":["Title 22. Criminal Offenses and Penalties.","Chapter 45. Weapons and Possession of Weapons."],"source_url":"https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/22-4503","current_through":"2026-08-20 (D.C. Law 26-175)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-29T05:44:07Z","sha256":"789ef95fe2f88e5600ae8d9ff3fb492cfffa54689d460f5170d3a292362bc856","source_id":"us-dc","stale":false,"prev":"us-dc/d.c.-code-22-4502.01","next":"us-dc/d.c.-code-22-4503.01"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}