To buy a gun in Maryland, you need to be old enough, pass federal and state background checks, and — if you’re buying a handgun or an assault weapon — first obtain a Handgun Qualification License and wait seven days after applying before you can take the gun home. The minimum age is 21 for a handgun or assault weapon and 18 for a rifle or shotgun. Maryland splits firearms into two categories, and the rules diverge sharply between them: “regulated firearms” (handguns and specific assault weapons) go through the stricter track, while ordinary rifles and shotguns go through a lighter one.
Who Cannot Buy a Gun in Maryland
Before working through any paperwork, confirm you’re eligible. Federal law disqualifies anyone with a conviction for a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, a domestic-violence misdemeanor conviction, fugitive status, unlawful drug use, a dishonorable military discharge, or an involuntary commitment to a mental institution or court finding of mental incompetence.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Maryland adds more. Under Public Safety § 5-133, you cannot possess a regulated firearm if any of the following applies:
- You have a disqualifying conviction, including a crime of violence, a common-law offense that resulted in more than two years of imprisonment, or certain repeat firearm offenses involving minors.
- You are on supervised probation for a crime punishable by a year or more, certain DUI offenses, or violating a protective order.
- You are a fugitive from justice.
- You are a habitual drunkard or addicted to a controlled substance.
- You have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility (any length), voluntarily admitted for more than 30 consecutive days, have a mental disorder with a history of violent behavior, or were found by a court to be incompetent or not criminally responsible.
- You are subject to a Maryland protective order or an equivalent order from another state or tribe.
- You are under court-appointed guardianship, unless the guardianship exists solely because of a physical disability.
- You are under 30 and were adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile for an act that would be a disqualifying crime if an adult committed it.
These apply to handguns and assault weapons.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-133 A similar but overlapping set applies to rifles and shotguns under Public Safety § 5-205. If any of these categories fits you, assume you cannot legally buy any firearm in Maryland.
Get a Handgun Qualification License First
If you want a handgun, you need a Handgun Qualification License (HQL) before a dealer can process the sale, before you can accept one as a gift, and before you can even rent one. The Maryland State Police issues the license.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-117.1 – Handgun Qualification License
Training and Application
The HQL requires an approved firearms safety training course that covers Maryland gun law, home firearm safety, and the mechanics and operation of a handgun, along with a live-fire component where you demonstrate safe handling.4Maryland Department of State Police. Firearms Safety Training Course After the course, you apply through the Maryland State Police Licensing Portal and submit fingerprints for a background investigation.
The application fee is $50 for a new HQL and $20 for a renewal. Fingerprinting costs more and varies by provider.5Maryland Department of State Police. Fee Schedule – Licensing Division
Who Can Skip the Training
Several groups are exempt from the training course (but not from the application or background check): people who already lawfully own a regulated firearm, honorably discharged members of the U.S. armed forces or National Guard, qualified handgun instructors, people who completed another firearms training course approved by the Secretary of State Police, and anyone who completed the Department of Natural Resources hunter-safety course. Active and retired law enforcement officers are also exempt.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-117.1 – Handgun Qualification License
Buying a Handgun or Assault Weapon
Maryland defines “regulated firearm” as a handgun or one of the specific assault weapons listed in Public Safety § 5-101. The process below applies to both.
Forms and Background Checks
At a licensed dealer, you fill out ATF Form 4473, the federal transaction record covering your identity and eligibility.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record – ATF Form 4473 You also complete form MSP 77R, the Maryland State Police Application and Affidavit to Purchase a Regulated Firearm, through the online Licensing Portal, entering your HQL number for a handgun purchase.7Maryland Department of State Police. Regulated Firearm Purchases
Two background checks then run in parallel. The dealer sends a federal check through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS),8Federal Bureau of Investigation. Firearms Checks (NICS) and the Maryland State Police Licensing Division runs its own criminal-history investigation on the MSP 77R.
The Seven-Day Wait
Once the dealer submits the MSP 77R, you wait seven days. You cannot take the gun home during that period. On the morning of the eighth day, the Licensing Division emails a decision. If approved, you can pick up the firearm. The dealer then has 90 days to complete the transfer before the application expires.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-123 – Time for Licensee to Complete Transactions
One Per 30 Days
You can take possession of only one regulated firearm every 30 days. You may submit more than one application in that window, but the second gun stays with the dealer until 30 days have passed since you picked up the first.7Maryland Department of State Police. Regulated Firearm Purchases Designated collectors can request an exception from the Secretary of State Police by showing they collect specific types of firearms or hold a federal Curio and Relics license.10Cornell Law School. COMAR 29.03.01.25 – Multiple Purchases – Collectors
Buying a Rifle or Shotgun
A standard rifle or shotgun that isn’t on Maryland’s assault-weapons list follows a lighter process. No HQL. No seven-day wait. No one-per-month cap. You need to be at least 18, and the dealer runs a NICS background check at the counter.
Since 2023, every private firearm transfer in Maryland must go through a licensed dealer, long guns included. A rifle sold between two private individuals still has to pass through a dealer who runs the NICS check.
Private Sales and Gifts
Every private transfer of a regulated firearm uses the same MSP 77R process, the same background investigation, and the same seven-day wait as a dealer purchase. The buyer completes the application on the Licensing Portal, and either the private seller or a Maryland State Police barracks submits it. The approval email arrives on day eight.7Maryland Department of State Police. Regulated Firearm Purchases
Fees depend on the relationship. Gifts to immediate family — spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, or grandparents — carry no processing fee. Gifts to anyone else count as secondary sales and carry a $10 fee. Other private sales processed at a State Police barracks also carry the $10 fee.7Maryland Department of State Police. Regulated Firearm Purchases Private long-gun transfers go through a licensed dealer who runs NICS; no MSP 77R, no waiting period.
If You’re Moving to Maryland With Guns
If you already own firearms when you move, you must register all regulated firearms with the Secretary of State Police within 90 days of establishing residency.11Maryland Department of State Police. New Resident Registration This isn’t a purchase step, but new residents who miss it often find out when a future purchase gets flagged.
What You Can’t Buy at All
Some firearms and magazines are off-limits regardless of your personal eligibility. Public Safety § 5-101 names specific assault weapons, and the ban extends to copies and duplicates. Transporting one into the state, possessing one, or buying or selling one is a criminal offense under Criminal Law § 4-303.12Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-303 – Assault Weapons – Prohibited
Detachable magazines holding more than 10 rounds are also prohibited. You cannot manufacture, buy, sell, or transfer one. The narrow exceptions cover .22-caliber rifles with tubular magazines and law enforcement officers (active or retired in good standing).13Cornell Law School. COMAR 29.03.01.07 – Magazine Capacity Holding an HQL and passing every background check does not change this.
Penalties for Cutting Corners
Lying on a firearm application is a misdemeanor carrying up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.14Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-139 – False Information or Misstatement in Application
A straw purchase, meaning buying a regulated firearm for someone who is underage or legally prohibited, is a separate misdemeanor for each transaction, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.15Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-141
Possessing a regulated firearm after a conviction for a crime of violence or certain other serious offenses is a felony. The sentence carries a five-year mandatory minimum, up to a 15-year maximum, with no suspension of the minimum and no parole during those five years.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-133