Oklahoma Guardsman Faces D.C. Gun Charge

PHOTO CAPTION: U.S. Army Spc. Jakob Noonan of the Oklahoma National Guard works with radio equipment at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., Sept. 7, 2026. Noonan was arrested later that month and charged with carrying a pistol without a license following a traffic stop. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeron Walker.

A 22-year-old Oklahoma National Guard soldier deployed to Washington, D.C., was arrested after police found his personal 9mm pistol during a traffic stop.
Spc. Jakob Noonan was off duty and out of uniform when U.S. Park Police stopped the vehicle he was traveling in on Sept. 28 over an expired vehicle registration.
According to police statements and court records, an officer noticed an empty holster inside the vehicle and asked whether there was a firearm present.
Noonan told officers there was.
Police subsequently found a 9mm Canik pistol.
According to an affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court, Noonan told officers that he was temporarily living in Washington as part of his National Guard deployment.
He also told police that Oklahoma is an open-carry state and that the firearm was registered to him there.
Noonan acknowledged that he did not have a valid District of Columbia concealed-carry permit, according to the court filing.
A records check confirmed that he did not have a D.C. permit.
Noonan was arrested and charged with carrying a pistol without a license. He made his first court appearance on Sept. 29.
Task & Purpose reported that he was no longer in D.C. jail custody by Friday.
Noonan has not been convicted of the charge.
The arrest highlights a significant difference between Oklahoma and Washington gun laws.
Oklahoma has allowed permitless carry since 2019. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says qualifying residents who can legally possess a firearm generally do not need a state permit or training to carry a firearm openly or concealed.
The agency also warns gun owners traveling outside Oklahoma that they are subject to the firearm laws of the jurisdiction they enter.
Washington, D.C., has considerably different rules.
District law generally prohibits a person from carrying a pistol openly or concealed without a license issued under D.C. law.
Carrying a pistol without that license outside a person's home, business or other property covered by the law can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison.
D.C. also maintains separate rules for transporting firearms in vehicles.
Under those rules, a firearm being transported without the applicable carry authority generally must be unloaded and cannot be readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In vehicles without a separate compartment, the gun must generally be unloaded and stored in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
The reported charge against Noonan is carrying a pistol without a license. Neither the Associated Press nor Task & Purpose reported allegations that he brandished the weapon or threatened anyone with it during the traffic stop.
Noonan was in Washington as part of the multi-state National Guard mission in the capital.
Defense Department photographs taken just weeks before his arrest show Noonan working with other Guard members at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
On Sept. 7, an Army National Guard photographer captured Noonan teaching Georgia National Guard soldiers how to use an Android Team Awareness Kit as part of Joint Task Force-District of Columbia.
At the time, the military said approximately 3,100 National Guard personnel were supporting the mission in Washington.
The case now centers on the distinction between what Noonan could lawfully carry in his home state and the licensing requirements that apply once he entered the District.
For now, Noonan faces the D.C. charge and remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.