Firearm law reference

Maryland Gun Laws: Complete Guide

A practical overview of Maryland firearm laws affecting private transfers, purchases, carrying, transportation, storage, and ownership.

Maryland distinguishes regulated firearms, including handguns and certain frames or receivers, from non-regulated long guns. Buyers and owners must also account for HQL, 77R, waiting-period, carry-permit, magazine, assault-weapon, reporting, and sensitive-place rules.

Maryland Gun Law Quick Facts

Start with the three rules most people need. The full comparison table covers the remaining purchase, carry, ownership, and restriction topics.

Minimum purchase age: 18-21 depending on firearm type
Maryland generally requires a regulated-firearm (including handgun) applicant to be 21, subject to statutory exceptions, while a licensed dealer may sell an ordinary rifle or shotgun to a buyer who is 18 or older under the federal floor. See the handgun and rifle/shotgun comparison table below for the full breakdown. [2][33]
Permitless concealed carry: No
A person generally needs a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit before carrying a handgun in public. [4]
Private sale background check: Required for most firearm transfers
Private regulated-firearm transfers generally use a Maryland regulated dealer or State Police and the 77R investigation. Most private non-regulated rifle and shotgun transfers must instead be facilitated by an FFL using NICS, subject to listed exceptions. [2][14]

Swipe horizontally to read the full table.

Law	Status	What it means
Dealer or State Police transfer	Required for most private transfers	Regulated firearms generally go through a Maryland regulated dealer or designated State Police barrack; non-regulated rifles and shotguns generally go through an FFL unless a statutory exception applies. [2][14]
Purchase credential	HQL generally required for handguns	A Maryland resident generally needs a valid Handgun Qualification License to purchase, rent, or receive a handgun unless exempt; ordinary long guns do not use the HQL. [3][7]
Waiting period	Seven days for regulated firearms	A regulated firearm generally may not be transferred until the statutory seven-day period after the 77R reaches State Police has elapsed and the application is not disapproved. [2]
Firearm registration and records	Regulated firearms recorded	77R transactions create State Police records, and a new resident generally must register regulated firearms within 90 days; Maryland does not require the same process for every ordinary long gun. [2][6]
Firearm owner license	No recurring general license	An HQL governs receiving a handgun, not continued possession of a handgun already lawfully owned; Maryland has no general recurring license for possession of every ordinary firearm. [3][7]
Wear and Carry Permit	Required for public handgun carry	Maryland State Police issues permits after fingerprints, training, background investigation, and satisfaction of statutory qualifications. [4]
Open carry	Generally prohibited	An ordinary Wear and Carry Permit restricts handgun carry to concealed carry under clothing or in an enclosed case. Narrow on-duty exceptions apply to specified officials and security personnel. [23]
Vehicle carry and transport	Permit or narrow transport exceptions	A permit holder may carry subject to permit limits; otherwise handgun transport is generally limited to listed purposes and must be unloaded and enclosed, with no unnecessary deviation. [24][5][36]
Magazine capacity	Over 10 rounds restricted	Maryland prohibits manufacturing, selling, offering, purchasing, receiving, or transferring a detachable magazine holding more than ten rounds, subject to narrow exceptions. [8]
Assault weapons	Banned with grandfathering	Maryland restricts possession, sale, transfer, purchase, and receipt of defined assault long guns and copycat weapons, with grandfather and other exceptions. [13][7]
NFA firearms	Mixed	Suppressors are generally federally regulated, while machine guns require Maryland registration and short-barreled rifles must also satisfy Maryland assault-weapon and overall-length rules. [1][13][35]
Extreme risk protective orders	Yes	A Maryland ERPO can temporarily require surrender and prohibit purchase or possession of firearms and ammunition. [10]
Safe storage	Loaded-firearm child-access rule	A person may not store or leave a loaded firearm where the person knew or should have known an unsupervised minor could access it, subject to statutory exceptions. [9]
Lost or stolen reporting	Within 72 hours for regulated firearms	The owner of a lost or stolen regulated firearm generally must report it to local law enforcement within 72 hours after discovery. [12]
State preemption	Partial	Maryland preempts specified local handgun, ammunition, and dealer regulation but preserves listed local authority, so local rules can still matter. [11]
Bill of sale	77R process for regulated firearms	A separate informal bill of sale does not replace the required 77R, dealer or State Police processing, background investigation, and wait for a regulated firearm. [2]
Castle doctrine / duty to retreat	No duty to retreat at home, but duty to retreat in public	Maryland's castle doctrine removes any duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, against an intruder inside your home, but Maryland is a duty-to-retreat state in public and requires a safe avenue of retreat to be used if one exists. [31]

Handgun and Rifle/Shotgun Rules in Maryland

Maryland law treats handguns and other regulated firearms differently from ordinary rifles and shotguns in several places, mainly around licensing, purchase limits, and public carry. Topics not listed here, such as safe storage or the assault-weapon and magazine-capacity bans (which apply to both handguns and long guns), work the same way for both firearm types.

Topic	Handguns	Rifles & shotguns
Purchase credential required	Handgun Qualification License generally required	No HQL required [3]
Minimum age to buy from a licensed dealer	21, as a regulated firearm	18 under the federal dealer floor [2][33]
State waiting period	Seven days after the 77R reaches State Police	No separate Maryland waiting period [2]
Purchase-frequency limit	Generally one regulated firearm in 30 days	The 30-day limit applies only to regulated firearms [20]
Carrying in public without a license	A Wear and Carry Permit is generally required	The reviewed sources did not identify a Maryland permit requirement to openly carry a rifle or shotgun, though sensitive-place, transport, and local rules can still applyThe unlawful wear-and-carry offense and the Wear and Carry Permit program are both written around handguns; confirm current statute text before relying on this for a firearm type not addressed here. [24][22]
Minimum age to buy ammunition from a dealer	21 for handgun ammunition	18 for rifle or shotgun ammunition [33]

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Private Sales and Transfers

Quick answer

Most private firearm transfers require an intermediary and background check: regulated firearms generally use a Maryland regulated dealer or State Police and the 77R process, while non-regulated rifles and shotguns generally use an FFL and NICS. [2][14]

For a handgun or other regulated firearm, the parties generally complete the transfer through a Maryland regulated dealer or designated State Police barrack. The recipient submits the 77R, must be at least 21, and needs an HQL for a handgun unless exempt; delivery waits until at least seven days after State Police receives the application and the application is not disapproved. [2][3][15]
A private transfer of a non-regulated rifle or shotgun also generally must be facilitated by an FFL, which processes it as an inventory transfer and runs NICS. Exceptions include transfers between immediate family members, qualifying curio-or-relic transfers between federally licensed collectors, permanently inoperable or certain unserviceable firearms, and specified estate transfers by operation of law. [14]
The long-gun exceptions do not authorize a transfer to a prohibited recipient. Maryland separately forbids transferring or loaning a rifle or shotgun when the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe the recipient is disqualified, visibly intoxicated, participating in a straw purchase, or intends criminal or harmful use. Interstate transfers remain subject to federal FFL rules. [18][32]

Classify the firearm before agreeing to a transfer; handguns and certain frames or receivers are regulated firearms. [7][2]
Use a Maryland regulated dealer or State Police for a regulated-firearm transfer, or an FFL for a non-regulated long gun unless a specific exception applies. [2][14]

Important notice: A private receipt cannot substitute for HQL eligibility, the 77R application, background investigation, or statutory wait. [3][2]

Buying a Firearm

A Maryland resident generally needs an HQL before purchasing, renting, or receiving a handgun, then submits a 77R through the licensing portal. Regulated-firearm applicants generally must be at least 21. The firearm may be delivered only after the seven-day period and a non-disapproval; an open disposition can place the application on hold. [3][2]
HQL exemptions include licensed manufacturers, qualifying active or retired law-enforcement personnel, active or retired armed-forces or National Guard members with the required identification, and acquisitions of antiques, curios, or relics. A valid Maryland Wear and Carry Permit also provides an HQL exemption. The HQL is an acquisition credential, not a permit to carry or a requirement to continue possessing a handgun already lawfully owned. [3]
A dealer transfer of a non-regulated rifle or shotgun uses the federal NICS process rather than the 77R and HQL process; federal law generally bars an FFL from transferring a rifle or shotgun to a person under 18. Maryland generally limits a buyer to one regulated firearm in 30 days, with exceptions for specified entities and replacement transactions and a separate procedure for qualifying designated collectors or private collections. [14][20][21][33][34]

Ownership and Prohibited Persons

Maryland prohibits regulated-firearm possession by people in numerous categories, including those convicted of a disqualifying crime, fugitives, habitual drunkards, controlled-substance addicts or habitual users, people with specified mental-health adjudications or admissions, and respondents under qualifying protective orders. Parallel provisions apply to rifles and shotguns, and federal prohibitions may independently apply. [16][17][34]
A person under 21 generally may not possess a regulated firearm, but Maryland lists exceptions for supervised temporary possession with parental or guardian permission, supervised recognized marksmanship training, official military or National Guard duties, qualifying employment with a carry permit, inheritance of title without possession, and defense against a trespasser in a residence. [16]
Restoration is category-specific, not automatic. A person disqualified by specified Maryland mental-health, substance-use, incompetency, commitment, or guardianship grounds may apply to the Maryland Department of Health for relief, but only if no other State or federal prohibition applies and the Department finds the statutory safety criteria satisfied. A qualifying petitioner may also seek an ERPO requiring surrender and temporarily barring firearm and ammunition purchase or possession. [19][10]

Concealed and Open Carry

Maryland does not allow general permitless public handgun carry. A person generally must receive a Wear and Carry Permit before carrying; merely submitting an application does not authorize carry. Applicants ordinarily must be at least 21, submit fingerprints, pass a background investigation, and complete 16 hours of approved in-person instruction with live-fire qualification unless a training exemption applies. [4][22]
An ordinary permit requires the handgun to remain concealed under or within clothing or in an enclosed case. Momentary inadvertent exposure or printing is not a violation, but general open carry is not authorized. The statute exempts specified officials, licensed security guards, correctional and railroad officers, and armored-car employees when authorized and acting within the scope of duty. [23]
Maryland does not recognize any other state's carry permit. Maryland's application is available to residents and nonresidents, but either must obtain the Maryland permit and comply with Maryland's concealment and sensitive-place rules. Initial permits generally run to the last day of the holder's birth month following two years after issuance; renewals are generally for three years and require eight hours of training unless exempt. [4][22]

Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine in Maryland

Quick answer

Maryland has no statute defining self-defense the way Texas or Arkansas do; the doctrine comes from case law. Inside your home, there is no duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, against an intruder. In public, Maryland is a duty-to-retreat state: you generally must use a safe avenue of retreat if one is available before resorting to deadly force. A criminal-law justification is not a guarantee against a civil lawsuit. [31]

Article 28 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights states only that 'a well regulated Militia is the proper and natural defence of a free Government.' Unlike many states, Maryland's constitution does not contain a separate clause protecting an individual right to keep and bear arms. [29]
Maryland has not codified a general self-defense or deadly-force-in-defense-of-person statute comparable to Texas Penal Code Chapter 9. Maryland courts instead apply a common-law standard: a person may use reasonable force, and in limited circumstances deadly force, when the person actually and reasonably believed they were in immediate danger of death or serious bodily harm, used no more force than necessary, and was not the initial aggressor. [31]
Outside the home, Maryland imposes a duty to retreat: deadly force is generally not justified if a safe avenue of retreat was available and not used. Maryland's castle doctrine is the major exception, removing the duty to retreat for any lawful occupant of a dwelling, not only its owner, before using force against an intruder, and it can extend to preventing an intruder from committing a violent felony inside the home. [31]
The reviewed sources did not identify a Maryland statute specifically addressing deadly force in defense of property alone, separate from defense of a person or the castle-doctrine right described above. [31]

Important notice: Maryland's Courts and Judicial Proceedings Section 5-808 can give civil immunity for injury or death caused by reasonable force, including deadly force, against someone who unlawfully and forcibly enters or attempts to enter your dwelling or place of business, but this statute does not apply if you are convicted of a crime of violence, second-degree assault, or reckless endangerment arising from the same incident, and it does not extend to self-defense incidents in public. Being legally justified in a criminal case does not by itself guarantee protection from a civil lawsuit outside this statute's scope. Get individualized legal advice before relying on any of this content in an actual confrontation. [30]

Transportation and Vehicles

Without a Wear and Carry Permit, a person generally may not knowingly transport a handgun in a vehicle on roads or parking lots used by the public. Exceptions cover trips to or from legal purchase or sale, a bona fide repair shop, between bona fide residences, and between a residence and a substantially owned and operated business, if the handgun is unloaded and in an enclosed case or enclosed holster. [24]
Additional exceptions cover travel to and from organized military activities, target shooting or practice, sport-shooting events, hunting, specified safety classes, trapping, and dog-obedience activities, again with the handgun unloaded and enclosed. State Police advises direct travel and keeping ammunition separate. A permit holder may carry in a vehicle only within the permit's limits, including the concealment requirement. [24][4][23]
Federal safe passage can protect qualifying interstate transportation from a place where possession and carry are lawful to another lawful destination when the firearm is unloaded and neither firearm nor ammunition is readily accessible; in a vehicle without a separate trunk, they must be in a locked container other than the glove box or console. This protection does not make Maryland an otherwise lawful destination for a firearm prohibited by Maryland law. [4][36]

Restricted Firearms and Magazines

Maryland generally prohibits possessing, selling, offering for sale, transferring, purchasing, or receiving a defined assault weapon. The definition includes listed assault long guns and pistols and feature- or configuration-based copycat weapons, including a semiautomatic centerfire rifle under 29 inches overall. Grandfathering and narrow exceptions can depend on lawful possession, a purchase order, or an application to purchase before October 1, 2013. [13][26][7]
Maryland prohibits manufacturing, selling, offering for sale, purchasing, receiving, or transferring a detachable magazine capable of holding more than ten rounds, subject to narrow law-enforcement and testing exceptions. Section 4-305 does not state a general ban on mere possession, but bringing one into Maryland through a prohibited purchase, receipt, or transfer can still violate the statute. [8]
Federal NFA registration or approval does not displace Maryland law. Short-barreled rifles and shotguns generally require federal registration, and an SBR must also avoid Maryland's assault-weapon definitions, including the 29-inch rule. A person acquiring a machine gun must register it with State Police within 24 hours and again each May; suppressors remain subject to federal NFA requirements and all generally applicable Maryland possession and location rules. [28][26][27][35]

Safe Storage and Reporting

A person may not store or leave a loaded firearm where the person knew or should have known that an unsupervised minor could access it. Exceptions cover access supervised by someone at least 18, access resulting from unlawful entry, a firearm controlled by an on-duty law-enforcement officer, and a minor who holds the specified firearm-and-hunter-safety certificate. [9]
If a regulated firearm is lost or stolen, its owner must report the loss or theft to the local law-enforcement agency within 72 hours after first discovering it. The reporting statute is limited to regulated firearms; it directs the agency to report available identifying information to State Police and enter it in NCIC. A knowing and willful first violation is a civil offense, while a second or later violation is a misdemeanor. [12]

Restricted Locations and Private Property

Maryland restricts firearms even for permit holders in public and private primary or secondary schools and their grounds, preschools, healthcare facilities, higher-education buildings, polling places, specified utility facilities, government buildings, museums, stadiums, amusement parks, racetracks, casinos, and other listed places. Separate statutes and regulations cover public schools, mass transit, parks, forests, courts, legislative buildings, and additional facilities. [25][5]
A state or local government building covered by Criminal Law Section 4-111 must display a clear and conspicuous sign at its main entrance stating that firearms are not permitted. The sensitive-place statute also allows a firearm to remain in a motor vehicle in those covered areas if it is locked in a container or is a handgun carried by a permit holder consistently with the permit's concealment limits. [25][23]
As of the State Police update dated July 10, 2026, injunctions prevent enforcement of the bans for locations selling alcohol, carrying within 1,000 feet of a public demonstration, and carrying on private buildings or property without owner consent while Supreme Court review is pursued. Property owners may still exclude firearms under ordinary property rules; carriers should not rely on the enjoined default-property rule and should check the current State Police litigation notice before travel. [5]

State Preemption and Local Rules

Maryland generally preempts counties, municipalities, and special taxing districts from regulating the purchase, sale, taxation, transfer, manufacture, repair, ownership, possession, and transportation of handguns, rifles, shotguns, their ammunition, and components. Separate provisions also expressly preempt local restrictions on private possession and transfer of regulated firearms and on private rifle or shotgun transfers. [11][16][14]
The preemption statute preserves local authority concerning minors and local law-enforcement officials, and permits regulation within 100 yards of or in parks, churches, schools, public buildings, and other places of public assembly, subject to protections for firearms-safety training and educational or sporting use. Local governments may also regulate discharge, but may not prohibit discharge at established ranges, and may retain limited authority to amend qualifying laws that existed by December 31, 1984. [11]

Before Completing a Private Firearm Sale in Maryland

Classify the firearm as regulated, non-regulated, assault weapon, or NFA-regulated before transfer. [7][13][35]
For a regulated firearm, verify HQL status where applicable and use the 77R dealer or State Police process; for a non-regulated private long-gun transfer, use an FFL unless an exception applies. [3][2][14]
Do not deliver a regulated firearm until the seven-day period has elapsed and the application is not disapproved. [2]
Obtain a Wear and Carry Permit before public handgun carry and check the current prohibited-places notice. [4][5]
Secure loaded firearms against unsupervised minor access and report a lost or stolen regulated firearm within 72 hours. [9][12]
Confirm both federal and Maryland legality before acquiring an NFA firearm or restricted magazine or firearm. [13][8][28][27][35]

Official Maryland Firearm Law Resources

Maryland Firearms Portal

Official hub for firearm licenses, registrations, transfers, and guidance.

Maryland State Police

Purchase a Regulated Firearm

77R application, seven-day wait, transfer, and fee guidance.

Maryland State Police

Handgun Qualification License

HQL requirements, exemptions, training, fingerprints, and application steps.

Maryland State Police

Wear and Carry Permit

Permit qualifications, training, fingerprints, applications, and renewals.

Maryland State Police

Prohibited Places

Current sensitive-place rules and litigation-related enforcement updates.

Maryland State Police

Maryland Declaration of Rights, Article 28

State constitutional militia clause; Maryland has no separate individual right-to-bear-arms provision.

Maryland General Assembly

Courts and Judicial Proceedings Section 5-808

Civil-immunity statute for justified force against an unlawful, forcible entry into a dwelling or place of business.

Maryland General Assembly

Extreme Risk Protective Orders

Petition, hearing, surrender, duration, and return procedures.

Maryland Courts

Maryland Gun Law FAQ

How old do you have to be to buy a gun in Maryland?

It depends on the firearm. Maryland generally requires a regulated-firearm (including handgun) applicant to be 21, subject to statutory exceptions, while a licensed dealer may sell an ordinary rifle or shotgun to a buyer who is 18 or older under the federal floor.

[2][33]

Can you carry a gun without a permit in Maryland?

Generally no for a handgun in public. A valid Maryland Wear and Carry Permit is generally required, and an ordinary permit requires the handgun to remain concealed.

[4][23]

Are background checks required for private gun sales in Maryland?

Yes for most transfers. Private regulated firearms generally use a Maryland regulated dealer or State Police and the 77R investigation. Private non-regulated rifles and shotguns generally require FFL facilitation and NICS, with exceptions such as immediate-family and qualifying estate or curio-and-relic transfers.

[2][14][32]

Do you need an HQL to buy a handgun in Maryland?

Generally yes before a Maryland resident purchases, rents, or receives a handgun, unless a statutory HQL exemption applies. An HQL is not required merely to keep a handgun already lawfully owned.

[3]

Does Maryland have a waiting period for guns?

A regulated firearm generally has a seven-day waiting period after the 77R reaches State Police. The same state waiting period does not generally apply to a non-regulated long gun.

[2]

Is open carry legal in Maryland?

Generally not for an ordinary permit holder. A Maryland Wear and Carry Permit requires the handgun to remain concealed under or within clothing or in an enclosed case. Narrow on-duty exceptions apply to specified officials and security personnel.

[23]

Can you carry a handgun in a vehicle in Maryland?

A Wear and Carry Permit generally authorizes carry subject to its limits. Without one, handgun transport is confined to statutory purposes and generally requires the handgun to be unloaded and enclosed during reasonably direct travel.

[24][4][36]

How do you renew a Wear and Carry Permit in Maryland?

Through the same State Police licensing process used for a new permit. Renewals are generally issued for three years and require eight hours of refresher training unless a statutory exemption applies.

[4][22]

Does Maryland have a castle doctrine?

Yes. Inside your home, Maryland's castle doctrine removes any duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, against an intruder, and it applies to any lawful occupant of the dwelling, not only its owner.

[31]

Do you have a duty to retreat in Maryland?

Outside your home, generally yes. Maryland is a duty-to-retreat state: deadly force is generally not justified in public if a safe avenue of retreat was available and not used. Maryland is not a stand-your-ground state.

[31]

Who cannot legally possess a gun in Maryland?

Maryland bars regulated-firearm possession by people in numerous categories, including those with a disqualifying conviction, fugitives, habitual drunkards, controlled-substance addicts or habitual users, people with specified mental-health adjudications or admissions, and respondents under qualifying protective orders. Parallel provisions apply to rifles and shotguns, and federal prohibitions can independently apply.

[16][17][34]

Do you have to register a gun in Maryland?

77R transactions create State Police records for regulated firearms, and a new resident generally must register regulated firearms already owned within 90 days of establishing residency. Maryland does not require the same process for every ordinary long gun.

[2][6]

Can someone who does not live in Maryland buy a gun there?

Not a handgun from a Maryland dealer: Maryland's HQL and regulated-firearm process require Maryland residency, and federal law separately bars a licensed dealer from selling a firearm to someone the dealer knows or has reasonable cause to believe does not reside in the dealer's state. A rifle or shotgun purchase from a dealer follows the federal nonresident exception instead, if both states' laws allow it.

[3][32]

Are suppressors legal in Maryland?

Suppressors are generally lawful when federal requirements are met, but other NFA items can face added Maryland rules, including machine-gun registration and assault-weapon or overall-length restrictions.

[1][27][26][28][35]

What is Maryland's magazine capacity limit?

Maryland prohibits in-state manufacture, sale, offer, purchase, receipt, or transfer of detachable magazines holding more than ten rounds, subject to narrow exceptions. The statute does not state a general possession ban.

[8]

Does Maryland ban assault weapons?

Yes. Maryland restricts defined assault long guns and copycat weapons, with grandfathering and narrow exceptions that depend on the firearm and acquisition date.

[13][7]

Must a lost or stolen gun be reported in Maryland?

A lost or stolen regulated firearm generally must be reported to local law enforcement within 72 hours after the owner discovers the loss or theft.

[12]

Does Maryland have a red flag law?

Yes. An ERPO can require immediate surrender of firearms and ammunition and temporarily prohibit their purchase or possession.

[10]

Is a bill of sale enough for a private handgun sale in Maryland?

No. A separate receipt does not replace the HQL where applicable, 77R application, dealer or State Police processing, background investigation, and seven-day wait for a regulated firearm.

[3][2]

Sources

Educational information only, not legal advice.

GunList does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee that this guide covers every law, exception, court ruling, or local ordinance. Laws and court orders can change quickly. Verify current requirements through official government sources or consult a qualified attorney before possessing, carrying, buying, selling, or transporting a firearm, or before relying on any self-defense or castle-doctrine provision.

Reading or using this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship with GunList, and GunList disclaims liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content. A criminal-law justification for using force does not guarantee protection from civil liability; use-of-force outcomes are fact-specific and high-stakes, so consult a qualified attorney before acting.