A Maryland resident can buy a gun in Virginia, but federal law splits the process in two: rifles and shotguns can be purchased directly from a Virginia dealer in person, while handguns have to be shipped from the Virginia dealer to a licensed dealer in Maryland for the actual transfer.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Either way, the firearm and any magazines you take home have to be legal under Maryland law, and Maryland bans quite a few things Virginia sells freely.
One boundary up front: private, unlicensed sellers cannot sell any firearm across state lines, long gun or handgun. A Virginia neighbor, a gun show table run by a non-dealer, a Craigslist seller in Fairfax — none of those is an option for a Maryland buyer.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts At least one end of the transaction must be a licensed dealer.
Buying a Rifle or Shotgun in Virginia
This is the straightforward path. Walk into a Virginia dealer’s shop, pick out the rifle or shotgun, and complete the sale in person. Virginia law explicitly allows its dealers to sell long guns to non-residents who present one government-issued photo ID from their home state plus one additional acceptable form of identification.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.2:2 – Criminal History Record Information Check Required for the Transfer of Certain Firearms A Maryland driver’s license handles the photo requirement. If it doesn’t show your current address, bring something that does, like a vehicle registration or voter ID card.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Ruling 2001-5
You will fill out ATF Form 4473 at the dealer’s premises. The dealer runs a background check through the Virginia Firearms Transaction Program and collects a $5 fee from out-of-state buyers for that check.4Virginia State Police. Virginia Firearms Transaction Program If it clears, you leave with the gun that day.
There is one catch written into the federal exception that allows this: the sale must comply with the laws of both states. If the model is banned in Maryland, or the magazine holds more than Maryland allows, the sale is not legal even if the Virginia dealer is happy to ring it up. The section below on banned firearms is the one to read carefully before you shop.
Buying a Handgun From a Virginia Dealer
Handguns cannot cross state lines directly to a buyer. The Virginia dealer has to ship the handgun to a licensed dealer in Maryland, and you complete the transfer at that Maryland dealer’s shop.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
In practice: you pick the handgun at the Virginia dealer, arrange shipping to a Maryland dealer you have lined up, and pay that Maryland dealer a transfer fee for receiving and processing the firearm. The fee varies by shop but commonly runs $40 to $100. When the handgun arrives, you go to the Maryland dealer, fill out ATF Form 4473, present your Handgun Qualification License, and submit to both the federal background check and Maryland’s state check. Then you wait out Maryland’s 7-day period before you can take it home.
Get Your Handgun Qualification License First
Maryland requires a Handgun Qualification License (HQL) before you can acquire any handgun, no matter where it was purchased. The first-time application fee is $50, and the process involves a firearms safety training course, fingerprinting for a background investigation, and a review by the Maryland State Police.5Maryland Department of State Police. Licensing Division Fee Schedule A valid Maryland Wear and Carry Permit, active or retired law enforcement status, and active or retired military with a valid military ID are among the categories that can skip the standard HQL requirement.6Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Qualification License
Start this process early. Between scheduling the training, the fingerprinting appointment, and the state’s background review, lead times can run several weeks. If you walk into a Maryland dealer to pick up a handgun shipped from Virginia and you don’t have your HQL in hand, the transfer stops there.
The 7-Day Waiting Period on Regulated Firearms
Maryland classifies handguns and certain assault weapons as “regulated firearms.” Every regulated firearm transfer completed in Maryland triggers a mandatory 7-day waiting period during which the dealer cannot release the gun to you.7Maryland Department of State Police. Regulated Firearm Purchases That applies to the handgun shipped in from Virginia the same as any other regulated purchase. The clock starts when the Maryland dealer submits your application; you are not walking out with a handgun the day you fill out paperwork.
What Maryland Bans That Virginia Sells
This is where Maryland buyers get into trouble. Virginia shops carry firearms and magazines that are legal there and criminal to possess in Maryland. Carrying one across the state line turns a lawful Virginia purchase into a Maryland offense.
Named Assault Weapons and Copies
Maryland bans more than 40 specific firearm models by name, including the AK-47 in all forms, the AR-15 and CAR-15 (with a narrow exception for the Colt AR-15 Sporter H-BAR), the UZI 9mm carbine, and the FN FAL.8Maryland State Police. Maryland Public Safety Code 5-101 – Regulated Firearms Definitions Copies of those models are also banned. Maryland State Police treats a firearm as a copy when it is both cosmetically similar to a listed weapon and has completely interchangeable internal components with it.9Maryland State Police. Firearm Search
Feature-Based Rifle and Shotgun Bans
Even outside the named list, a semi-automatic centerfire rifle that accepts a detachable magazine is banned in Maryland if it has any two of these features: a folding stock, a grenade or flare launcher, or a flash suppressor. A semi-automatic centerfire rifle is also prohibited if it has a fixed magazine holding more than 10 rounds, or if its overall length is under 29 inches with the stock fully extended. For shotguns, any semi-automatic shotgun with a folding stock or a revolving cylinder is banned.9Maryland State Police. Firearm Search If you’re not sure about a particular rifle or shotgun, the Maryland State Police Firearm Search tool lets you look up models before you buy.
10-Round Magazine Cap
Maryland prohibits the purchase, sale, or transfer of any detachable magazine holding more than 10 rounds, for any firearm.10Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Law Code 4-305 Virginia has no equivalent cap, so Virginia dealers routinely stock 15-, 20-, and 30-round magazines. If the long gun you’re buying ships with a magazine over 10 rounds, ask the dealer to swap it for a 10-round magazine before you complete the sale.
Getting the Firearm Home
Federal law gives you “safe passage” to transport a firearm across state lines as long as you can legally possess it at both ends of the trip, the firearm is unloaded, and neither the gun nor the ammunition is readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle without a trunk or separate cargo area, the firearm has to be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or center console.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
Safe passage covers direct transport. Extended stops along the way can take you outside the protection. Keep the drive home direct, the firearm unloaded and locked away, and the ammunition stored separately.