The Law at a Glance

D.C. police have begun accepting applications from residents who want to register revolvers. Some basics:

THE GUNS

· As a rule, the city will accept registration applications only for revolvers, although relatively rare types of semiautomatic handguns are permitted. Most clip-loaded semiautomatic weapons remain banned.

· Residents who illegally kept revolvers in their homes during the ban will be allowed to apply for registrations during a six-month amnesty period that began yesterday.

· Gun owners who purchased revolvers while living outside Washington and left the guns stored in those states when they moved to the city are allowed to bring them to D.C. police headquarters to apply for registrations.

· It is not possible yet for a D.C. resident to legally purchase a handgun because, at this point, there are no licensed dealers in the city. Federal law prohibits a person from buying and taking delivery of a handgun in a state where he or she does not reside.