[blindLaw] Firearms and the Blind?

[Seif-Eldeen Saqallah]

I emailed mpd at dc.gov; I guess I found a denying jurisdiction, for both
registration and carrying, from a DC Police Lieutenant (See below
redacted email).

Good skill and strength to all bar takers.


Message:
[...]
Date: Mon, Jul 24, 2023 at 9:25 AM
[...]
Seif Saqallah,

The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department is required to
enforce all of the qualifications for firearm registration, which
include finding that a person “[i]s not blind, as defined in §
7-1009(1),” under D.C. Code § 7-2502.03(a)(11). Concealed pistol
license (CPL) applicants must meet all of the firearm registration
requirements, register a handgun in DC, and meet the standard of
suitability to be issued a DC CPL. The following regulations provide
additional information regarding the vision criteria:

24 DCMR § 2310.4: “To establish that the applicant complies with the
vision requirements of § 203(a)(11) of the Act, the applicant shall
certify in writing, on a form provided by the Firearms Registration
Section, that the applicant's vision is not impaired more than 20/200
visual acuity in the better eye and for whom vision cannot be improved
to better than 20/200, or who has loss of vision due wholly or in part
to impairment of field of vision or to other factors which affect the
usefulness of vision to a like degree.”

24 DCMR § 2310.5: “If the Firearms Registration Section determines
there are reasonable grounds to believe that the certification
provided in § 2310.4 is not accurate, the Firearms Registration
Section may require the applicant to obtain a certification from a
licensed optometrist that the applicant meets the vision requirement
of § 203(a)(11) of the Act.”

V/R,
[...]
Lieutenant, Records Division
Metropolitan Police Department
[...]



On 7/12/23, Al Elia <al.elia at aol.com> wrote:
> Agreed, though that is an employment, not a licensing issue. If there are,
> in fact, still jurisdictions that disqualify disabled persons from jury
> service, that might bea  good place to start. If there are licensing
> restrictions based on disability for things other than firearms and
> automobiles, I’d rather start there. I’m just saying that I’d consider a
> firearm case if one was brought to me. Since the DC law is a carry and use
> permit, rather than a purchase/ownership/carry license, I wouldn’t take a
> case there.