Does District of Columbia Have an Assault Weapons Ban?

D.C. Code section 7-2501.01 combines named models with feature tests. A semiautomatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine reaches the definition through one listed feature, and pistols and shotguns have their own branches.

Section 7-2502.02 bars issuance of a registration certificate for an assault weapon. Because District law generally requires firearm registration, the definition and registration provisions must be read together rather than as a feature checklist alone.

There has been no federal assault weapons ban since the 1994 ban expired in 2004; no feature restrictions apply federally to semi-automatic rifles or pistols. The 2023 ATF pistol-brace rule was vacated by the courts and is not enforced, but federal SBR classification for a brace-equipped firearm still turns on whether the specific weapon is designed and intended to be fired from the shoulder. Garland v. Cargill (2024) held that a bump stock is not a machine gun under federal law. Feature bans are entirely a matter of state law.

Federal baseline verified 2026-10-20. Scope: State laws restricting semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns by configuration features: threaded barrels, pistol grips, folding or telescoping stocks, flash suppressors, forward grips, and similar. Magazine capacity limits are tracked as a separate class.