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Posted: 7/23/2003 11:25:48 AM EDT
Hi Everyone,
My wife is interviewing for a job in Arlington tomorrow.  As I've done with the other States she has looked at moving to, I'm trying to check into the gun laws of the State and the city if possible.  

I'm an IPSC shooter and a hunter.  In other words, I've got several firearms that aren't liked by many people, including AR's and full capacity magazines.  

Are there any laws that I should be aware of if I do move to Virginia, Arlington in particular?  I haven't read through all of the laws listed in this forum yet, but if you can point out any that I should be really concerned with I would appreciate it.  

I'm in Michigan now, so I'm used to not having a lot of restrictions.  Still not what I would like but better than many States.
Thanks
Scott
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 11:45:03 AM EDT
[#1]
Bring all the guns , CCW shall issue, state preemtion, Arlington is a little funny on NFA.

Only really bad law is we can only purchase one handgune a month, I don;t like it , but it keep money in my bank account :).

You'll be able to shoot with us at the NRA HQ range too !
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 11:47:42 AM EDT
[#2]
ANGST,
Thanks for the response.  That's the first time I've asked this question and received a positive response.

Thanks for the invitation to shoot too.  If we do move, I'll definitely take you up on it.
Scott
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 11:49:10 AM EDT
[#3]
You also won't be hunting nearby unless you get a special tag, via lottery for one of the managed hunts on Belvoir or Mason Neck.  I haven't heard but there was some talk they were going to be all bow anyway.

You will likely have to get out about 1 hour or so to hunt....
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 11:50:11 AM EDT
[#4]
I'm sure somebody else here will direct you to a good link for this question, but in the meantime, I'll tell you the basics.  There is nothing too onerous here.  Your mags and black rifles are fine.  We have a pretty liberal concealed carry law but you still can't take them into "bars".  The state has no waiting period on anything, but the more urban counties and cities do.  I think the worst is something like a week and that is only on hand guns.  You can buy in other counties if you want to avoid this.

We have a 1 handgun a month law for some strange reason.

We have the instant check on rifles and shotguns, as well as handguns.  The only problem with this is that it makes it impossible to buy rifles out of state.

Oh, and don't bring a street sweeper or USAS12 into the state.  One former governor banned them completely, even though full autos are OK.  Go figure.

Final note... Arlington is VERY crowded and expensive.  Move out to Woodbridge and you can afford a lot more house but your commute will suck unless you buy a hybrid car or carpool.  Both those categories can use the HOV lanes or "Lanes for the blessed and government employees."
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 5:27:34 PM EDT
[#5]
I belive you can purchase more than one handgun a month if you fill out extra paperwork for the state police.   Of course, I can't afford the one handgun a month as it is.  
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 5:59:09 PM EDT
[#6]
Yeah, that one gun a month law is a killer.  Not only does it get expensive, but after living under it for ~100 months I'm running out of places to put all those pistols.  
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 7:53:09 PM EDT
[#7]
You're going to love the traffic situation.
Link Posted: 7/23/2003 8:23:40 PM EDT
[#8]
Watertower, I live in Arlington...as Cliffy said, it's a *little* expensive here.  In north Arlington, a shack is around $400,000.

Very nice area, but there's virtually no now construction going on around here...all the land is already developed.  Is some cases, people buy the house and land, knock down the 60 year old house, and then build a new one!  You pretty much have to wait for people to die to find a house in this neck of the woods.  

Property values are really insane in this area, all the way out to Loudoun county, and as far south as Prince William...Woodbridge and below.  By then, commutes can get pretty hellish...there are really only 2 ways into Arlington...up 95, or from the west on 66 (assuming you move out that far), and 66 is only 2 friggin' lanes wide inside the Beltway...so it backs up day and night.  

South Arlington is a little better, but there's just no way around the fact that as the closest part of Va to DC, property values are just plain nuts.  

I inherited this house about 3 years ago...I could rent it for between $2500 and $3000 a month...and it's just 3 bedrooms! It was built back in the 50s; there are a couple of additions on it, but if you moved this house to Lancaster, Pa, for example, I doubt it's worth more than $150k.  

As far as guns go, there's much better news, as others have stated.  Arlington is one of the jurisdictions with a waiting period for handguns, but you can drive down to Prince William Co...only 30 minutes...and it's cash and carry.  

Getting CLEO sign offs on class III is supposed to be nigh impossible, but I haven't tried.  CCW permits are easy as pie, once you fulfill the residency requirement.  I got mine about a month ago, no hassle, other than 3 and 4 copies of certain items.  The state allows 45 days to issue/deny the permit, and most of the places around here take all the time allotted.  

The NRA range is only about 20 minutes down the road; they do IPSC matches there once a week, I believe.  

The Arlington/Fairfax Izaak Walton league has a 100 yard outdoor range in Centreville, about 30 minutes away.  I shoot there all the time...it's ok, some nice old guys hang out there, but there's no rapid fire, and no full auto!  Can't shoot a .50, either.  Good news is it's open pretty much 365 day a year, unless it's just too friggin' cold to be outdoors lol.  

Black rifles and high caps are fine...bring as many as you've got!  

Local guns shows within easy driving distance on a regular basis, although they've had more junk and less guns lately.

All in all, pretty gun friendly...we even have open carry in VA, although I'm sure if you rode down the street with an AK strapped to your back, you'd have some problems hehehe.  

A good site to see what's going on here gun wise is the www.vcdl.org.  That's the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a strong gun rights organization which is responsible for much of the recent pro gun legislation.  

Well, hope to have you as a neighbor soon...hope I didn't scare you too much with the talk of high real estate prices, but you need to be prepared for some real sticker shock!

Good luck!  Oh, yeah...don't even THINK about living in the District...they have NO second amendment there.  Maryland's a little better, but then no self respecting person would want to live there, would they, guys?  (a friendly poke at our neighbors lol).  
Link Posted: 7/25/2003 5:42:29 PM EDT
[#9]
Guys,
Thanks for all of the great info.  I don't particularly want to live in Arlington, especially now that I know how expensive it will be.  

Fenian,
Thanks for the info on IPSC matches.  I hadn't gotten around to searching for a USPSA affiliated club yet.  That was second on the list, right after gun laws.
Thanks again,
Scott
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