Diesel42 wrote:I'm sure you've thought about it, but allow me to echo the basics about DC.
I work for Uncle Sam and I go to DC every year.
You are not the target, your distracted teens are. My friends that work in DC don't carry purses. They don't worry about muggers, they worry about snatch and grab artists. Pickpockets are thick as fleas in crowded places like pubs, dance venues, and demonstrations. It's best to carry nothing that can be easily snatched. My friends in DC use backpacks and roller cases if necessary. Avoid areas away from tourist areas and popular venues, the whole environment can change in the space of a city block. After dark I only recommend taxis. The Metro is okay as long as your hotel is only a stop or two away. Obviously, my situational awareness goes hyper in DC.
One last point, you and the girls are from Texas. That means distance is no big deal to you. Folks living in DC do everything within a few blocks. Food, lodging, entertainment, and work are within a mile of them. So you and the girls will see several micro environments as you walk around DC. An area that looks okay in the daylight can become VERY scary after dark with no one on the streets.
Drill the girls to stay in groups and get back to base before dark. DC is very educational and offers lots of fun and excitement. Just be careful and keep your SA turned on.
Happy Trails! N
I policed SW and SE DC as part of MPD for 8 years, and as long as you stay in the decent areas in daylight, Diesel42 is spot on. I'd avoid the Metro in the late evening hours, as the cars are less crowded and some bands of 'feral youth' do cruise the Metro system for easy marks late at night.
As far as weapons go, DC is definitely CCW free. I saw the registration requirement referenced in this thread and that is an accurate assessment of pepper spray/mace possession in the District limits. Exceptions to prohibited weapons statutes are listed under Title 22:
22-4514. Possession of certain dangerous weapons prohibited; exceptions.
(a) No person shall within the District of Columbia possess any machine gun, sawed-off shotgun, or any instrument or weapon of the kind commonly known as a blackjack, slungshot, sand club, sandbag, switchblade knife, or metal knuckles, nor any instrument, attachment, or appliance for causing the firing of any firearm to be silent or intended to lessen or muffle the noise of the firing of any firearms; provided, however, that machine guns, or sawed-off shotguns, and blackjacks may be possessed by the members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps of the United States, the National Guard, or Organized Reserves when on duty, the Post Office Department or its employees when on duty, marshals, sheriffs, prison or jail wardens, or their deputies, policemen, or other duly-appointed law enforcement officers, including any designated civilian employee of the Metropolitan Police Department, or officers or employees of the United States duly authorized to carry such weapons, banking institutions, public carriers who are engaged in the business of transporting mail, money, securities, or other valuables, wholesale dealers and retail dealers licensed under § 22-4510.
(b) No person shall within the District of Columbia possess,
with intent to use unlawfully against another [emphasis mine], an imitation pistol, or a dagger, dirk, razor, stiletto, or knife with a blade longer than 3 inches, or other dangerous weapon.
(c) Whoever violates this section shall be punished as provided in § 22-4515 unless the violation occurs after such person has been convicted in the District of Columbia of a violation of this section, or of a felony, either in the District of Columbia or in another jurisdiction, in which case such person shall be imprisoned for not more than 10 years.
So about the best you will be able to do without having to explain why you are carrying it is a knife with blade length of 3" or less. Or a cane, etc...
"Victory goes to the one who has no thought of himself."- Shinkage School of Swordsmanship
