Is archery legal in Washington DC?
My son went to a summer camp right out of a Berenstain Bears book, and he came home and announced he was an archer. But we live in Washington DC, so my instinct was that backyard archery is surely illegal.. or is it?
If you click through the first few pages of Google results, you'll find the following contradictory data points:
- Internet forum posts claiming, without evidence, that archery is illegal in DC.
- The web pages of middle school archery teams in DC
Confused at the mixed messages, I figured I'd try to track down the actual laws and post them here. That way some future archery dad can find something other than reddit comments (no offense, reddit).
The Code of the District of Columbia does not prohibit archery.
In fact, the only mention of the word bow in the DC Code is a law that permits the Mayor to offer archery fishing licenses.
Here's what I could figure out as a non-lawyer.
Question 1: Is possessing a bow and arrow legal in Washington DC? It appears yes.
The Code of District of Columbia covers weapons in Chapter 45. Reading through that:
- §22–4514 states that "No person shall within the District of Columbia possess, with intent to use unlawfully against another, ... [a] dangerous weapon."
- §10–503.26 states that "the term 'dangerous weapon' includes...devices designed to expel or hurl a projectile capable of causing injury to persons or property"
I take this to mean that archery equipment is illegal if you have intent to harm others, but not illegal if you're just doing backyard target practice.
Question 2: Is using a bow and arrow legal in Washington DC? It appears yes.
The only laws I could find about discharging weapons concerned firearms.
- §22–4503.01 states that "no firearm shall be discharged or set off in the District of Columbia without a special written permit".
But are bows and arrows firearms?
- §7–2501.01 states that a firearm is "any weapon...[designed to] expel a projectile or projectiles by the action of an explosive".
So no, bows and arrows are not firearms. Loosing an arrow does not appear to be prohibited by the DC firearm laws.
Question 3: Do the DC hunting and fishing regulations forbid archery?
It looks like section 8 covers hunting and fishing, and I found the following two references to archery:
- §8–2221.30 states that hunting devices will be seized if you're arrested for breaking the law with them, but you'll get them back if you're acquitted.
Not relevant.
- §8–2231.11 states that the Mayor can grant licenses to fish with a bow and arrow, but you must keep the license with you.
Idea: Is the backdoor for protection to just get an archery fishing license and then shoot in Rock Creek Park?
The DC Public School system contains archery teams and holds archery tournaments.
Washington DC has several public schools with archery programs. The Wikipedia page for the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association lists eight DC middle schools with archery.
Some of these DCPS schools even have websites for their archery teams:
Washington DC appears to have an official representative to the National Archery in the Schools Program. Finally, here is a press release by the District of Columbia Public Schools system advertising an archery tournament at H.D. Woodson High School.
The George Washington University has an archery team
Not much else to say here, other than that "G-Dub" (as locals call it), a university in DC Proper, has a club archery team.
Is archery permitted in DC parks? No.
DC is in an interesting park situation because many of our parks are governed by the National Park Service, not the local Parks & Rec department. So I checked both the NPS and DCPR regulations. Both seem to be a no-go as far as target shooting.
Rock Creek (National Park System) - No.
Rock Creek Park is a true gem of DC. If you're visiting and find yourself monumented out, head over to RCP and be amazed that you can get lost in miles of woods while still in a major city.
Here are the rules for Rock Creek Park, which don't mention target practice but do refer the reader to the Code of Federal Regulations.
So looking to the Code of Federal Regulations, §36.1.2.4(b)(3) states "weapons may be carried, possessed, or used [in National Parks]...for target practice at designated times and facilities...[or] within a residential dwelling".
I read this to mean that using Rock Creek Park for target practice is not permitted, as there are no designated archery ranges in Rock Creek Park within the district limits.
Unless you build a house in Rock Creek Park, move in there, and then practice exclusively within it. Which, you know. Life goals. But unrealistic.
Interestingly the fishing clause arises again: there's a carve out in the NPS regulations for fishing with a bow and arrow as long as its authorized.
Department of Parks and Rec Parks - No.
The DCPR Permit Handbook states that "weapons of any type [are] prohibited in DPR facilities and within 25 feet of any DPR playground, picnic grove or other outdoor amenity".
So the DC parks that aren't governed by the National Park Service are off limits as well.
Rented School Fields - Maybe?
The DCPS system will let students rent fields for under $10/hour for recreational use. That's pretty cool of them. Here's the reservation site.
We already know the DCPS system has archery teams, but it's unclear if they permit their rented fields to host archery as a sport without their supervision.
If I were a school, I would absolutely not want local residents shooting arrows on my fields, even if I had an archery team. Plus I assume the DC soccer leagues would (and should) get first dibs on these fields.
I've been unable to find the rental agreement documents online, so this one is filed under "maybe".
Your back yard - unclear, but it appears so?
If you're one of the few people wealthy enough to have a back yard in DC, as far as I can tell you're good to go.
If anyone can cite a law showing this isn't the case, I'll update this post and thank you in it.
Conclusion: Backyard or bust?
As far as I can tell, archery is legal in DC, though all of the obvious public spaces forbid it.
Unless you're shooting at fish. With a permission slip from the Mayor.
And given the scarcity of back yards, let alone back yards big enough for target practice, for most people it's practically impossible to do it on private property as well.
If you made it this far, here are the nearest local clubs in MD and VA:
- Nova Fencing and Archery Club
- Lake Needwood Archery Range
- Adelphi Manor Archery Range
- Bull Run Public Shooting Center