Sandy MaloneWashington, DC – There is no legal way for anyone who lives in the nation’s capital to get a handgun now because the only federally-licensed dealer in the District of Columbia isn’t accepting any more transfers.
Charles Sykes is the only licensed firearms dealer in D.C. and has been since 2008, according to the Daily Caller.
“I’m not accepting any firearms for transfers until further notice,” Sykes confirmed.
Sykes does not sell guns, but D.C. residents can buy guns in other states and have them shipped to him, the Daily Caller reported.
The gun dealer would accept the weapon and do the paperwork for a transfer to the D.C. resident.
But for now, Sykes said he doesn’t want to do any more transfers, and that means nobody can legally obtain a handgun in Washington, D.C., the Daily Caller reported.
“If you have to purchase it [handgun], there’s no way to do it,” he said.
Sykes told the Daily Caller his decision had nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic.
However, his decision corresponds with skyrocketing gun sales nationwide in response to the increasing numbers of infected Americans and anticipation of a nationwide, enforceable order for people to stay in their homes.
Sykes opened his business, CS Exchange, in Southeast DC in 2008 after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the city’s 33-year-old handgun prohibition, The Washington Post reported.
He moved the business into a small space inside the Metropolitan Police Department’s headquarters in July of 2011, according to the DCist.
It was convenient for Sykes and his customers because that is where handgun registrations are processed.
Sykes hasn’t said when he will begin accepting gun transfers again, the Daily Caller reported.
Gun sales have skyrocketed in the wake of the arrival of coronavirus in the United States.
Sellers in Alabama have reported a surge of four times the usual number of gun sales over the past seven days, AL.com reported.
Bill Kucyk, owner of Action Impact Firearms and Training Center, said gun sales in his Detroit shop are up 500 percent, WJBK reported.
“This is more than Sandy Hook was. It’s much more than 9/11 ever was. More than when President Obama took office, Kucyk said.
Ammunition has also been flying off the shelves, with online ammunition sales up more than 150 percent in several states.