I don't want to repeat too much of what has been covered extensively in other threads, but the long/short of it is that at the NRA Show, Ares (of Shrike notoriety) announced they'll be bringing to market a "50-states legal" AR-15:



To get the common questions out of the way:
- It takes any standard upper, but requires Ares' modified BCG to interact with the buffer, though you can use your own bolt head.
- Proprietary Ares lower/trigger, with a cross-bolt safety but standard mag-release. Hopefully the aftermarket will step up to refine these if they sell amazingly as I expect they will in NY and CT (and a handful in DC)
- It works like a FAL, with a "rat tail" spring tang sticking down from the bolt into the stock, acting as its "buffer". So it's not a buffer-forward design like the old Olympus folding-stock ARs
- Not clear on the release date, but B&H Police Supply is taking pre-orders, no deposit required
- MSRP about $900 or so, street lower. Currently planning to be sold as a full rifle, no lower-only.
- Stock options include Sporter, Short Sporter, and Monte Carlo
- Carbine and Rifle length barrels (no idea why the demo pic is 20" and carbine gas???)



Clearly we can't have the can, but this gives you the idea:


Ares' 2009 version:


I'm very excited about this, since with 10-round magazines this should be totally DC legal. Given that I had MPD give me some push-back on a 18"/28"+ side-by-side "coachgun" shotgun as being legally iffy ("you could fire it from the hand instead of the shoulder"), I've been skeptical of DC accepting workarounds like the BulletButton, Monsterman stock, etc. But something like this I can't imagine any possible letter-of-law argument against it, and if they try to pull "we just don't like it" I reckon folks could contact the Ombudsman or whomever to file a complaint since this clearly meets DC legal requirements.

I was fixing to get a Mini-14 later this year, but the hope of this design coming out (despite Ares' notorious slowness) has pushed that purchase back. Ares took their sweet time on the Shrike, but that was a little niche project. This design would sell like hotcakes in AWB states, so Ares would be foolish or incompetent not to finish up the design and hop right on churning these out by the truckload.

Any other DC residents tracking on this design and fixing to get one?

NYC legal too.

Slap a dissipator upper on that and I'd buy one.

I'd own one if there wasn't a stupid gun registry here

Meh.

While there's certainly no point in trying to move your whole collection into DC, I for one submit that if you let their "chilling effect" prevent you from having any guns, you're just letting the banners win. Leave your cool stuff and EBRs and FTF-bought stuff in storage elsewhere, and either just bring one generic and not overly-valuable handgun with you when you move. Or if you moved here already and don't own any guns that you can/will bring in and register, just buy jump through their little hoops and buy a Rem 870 shotgun, 20" sXs coachgun, Win 92 levergun, M1 carbine, or other such DC-legal longarm. It's a minor tailpain to go through the process, but it was nowhere near as bad as I thought, didn't cost much money at all, and only took a couple of hours.

I wrote a thread about it for THR: http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-750864.html

I think it'd be around $48 total to register a long-gun ($35 fingerprints, $13 fees). Uncle Sugar has had my DNA and fingerprints on file since I first enlisted, plus several different states for CCW, so it's old news. IIRC, if you are a DC legal resident and want to buy a new long-arm, you register it first, and then go pick the gun up from the FFL in Arlington, Montgomery County, or wherever in a neighboring state, but you don't have to bring the longarm back in to MPD, they'll give you your reg card on your initial visit.

My whole process took me maybe 2 hours total, and it would've been half that if they hadn't been agonizing over whether the shortened buttstock (still with buttplate mind you) on my coachgun was too short to be shoulderable and thus a "pistol grip".


So yeah, unless you're living under Deep Cover and have never had a firearm associated with you on-paper in your life, I fail to see how the registration is so killer. And if you live in DC and don't register a gun because of it, the antis win. I'll spend my $48 and an hour to be able to keep a rifle in my house. I'm not going to stay unarmed just so I can feel principled.

It's a matter of principle for me, I guess. I'm extremely opposed to any sort of a gun registration at all and I'll be damned if I'll volunteer to add myself to one. I would give 0 f$cks if the people who thought up the DC gun laws all died in a fire. For god's sake, you can go to prison for possessing a single bullet here! NICS checks irritate me enough, but I just can't bring myself to walk into an MPD station and sign up for their gun registry. As much as I miss my firearms, I just won't sign up for their stupid list.

I hate this city and every morning when I wake up, I wonder "why the hell did I ever come here?" I'm ready to leave. The liberals can fucking have this terrible place and I'll go back to Florida and keep my guns and not pay a state income tax.

I lived in MD and DC (military) and now in VA.  I can't begin to describe the freedom of living in VA.  My commute isn't wonderful - but I can carry a gun while doing it, own virtually any kind, and have a suppressor on it to boot.

You know all this of course.  But you might as well move while the weather is nice out.  

100% Agreed.

FYI at least two Ares SCR have been registered in DC no problem

I'm already approved at work to move over to VA. I'm just gonna hold out for another month or two until I get done with the move and bring up my real AR's. The SCR design is pretty cool though.