While the District’s revamped gun regulations work their way through the courts (Dick Heller recently sued the city again over its registration process and ban on semi-automatic guns), we’ll soon have our very own licensed gun seller from which to purchase that sweet limited edition commemorative Smith & Wesson handgun. Writes WTOP’s Mark Segraves:

D.C. Police Chief, Cathy Lanier was on WTOP’s Ask the Chief program and said she’s been told federal authorities will issue final approval to a firearms dealer in the District soon…Charles Sykes is the only licensed gun dealer in the city who is willing to facilitate the transfer of handguns from out-of-state dealers into the District. Sykes, who has been transferring handguns for security firms since 1994, is waiting for the ATF to approve his change of address before he can start doing business again. Sykes tells WTOP he met with ATF inspectors on Tuesday. “They inspected my office,” Sykes says. “They say it should be only a few weeks now, then I’ll get my license from the District police and I’ll be back in business.”

Don’t expect Sykes to be opening up a brand new gun store/espresso bar down the street from your house, though. From the sound of it, he’ll merely be facilitating the transfer of guns purchased outside of the District. As we’ve reported, local neighborhood gun shops are many a zoning battle away.

Interestingly, Segraves has a personal stake in Sykes’ license approval. As soon as the District started accepting applications for handgun registrations, he rushed on out to Maryland and purchased himself a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson. (This is why we heart Mark Segraves. He doesn’t just break big stories — he becomes them.) But until Sykes gets the go-ahead, Segraves’ new weapon remains in the store from where he purchased it. Be warned, potential burglars of the Segraves family home. The man will soon be armed with a whole lot more than a pen.