Because Emily Miller spent more on training, permitting, and registration ($465) before the government allowed her to buy a gun than I did just to buy my first gun (no registration, permitting, training, fingerprinting, or anything else required). My Bersa Thunder 380 CC was (IIRC) right at $300.
Now, I did have to spend ~$125 on a CCW training course and fingerprinting, and another $145 for the FBI background check and state CCW application processing, but that was to be licensed to carry, not merely to own the handgun. And even that, I think, is far too excessive. I shudder to think what DC’s carry fees would be (if they allowed any form of carry at all, which they do not).
High registration or permitting costs are one of the easiest ways for politicians to keep guns away from those they don’t believe should have them; in places like Washington, DC and New York City, that’s pretty much the entire populace.
