Yes, you can carry a gun in Baltimore, but only if you hold a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit for the handgun, and only in places the state hasn’t declared off-limits. The permit is issued by the Maryland State Police, costs $125 for an initial application, requires a 16-hour training course, and can take up to 90 days to process.1Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Wear and Carry Permit Maryland law applies statewide and preempts local rules, so Baltimore does not run its own separate system.
Who Qualifies for the Permit
You must be at least 21 to apply, with an exception for active members of the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard, or uniformed services, who can apply younger.1Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Wear and Carry Permit
Several things disqualify you outright: a felony conviction, a misdemeanor conviction carrying a potential sentence of more than two years, or any conviction involving controlled dangerous substances. Being an alcoholic or habitual user of controlled substances also disqualifies you, unless the use is under legitimate medical direction. Beyond the record check, State Police investigators look at whether you have shown a pattern of violence or instability that would make carrying a handgun dangerous.1Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Wear and Carry Permit
Maryland used to require applicants to show a “good and substantial reason” for needing a permit, such as a documented threat. After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen, Governor Hogan directed the State Police to stop enforcing that standard.2Supreme Court of the United States. New York State Rifle and Pistol Assn Inc v Bruen Personal protection is now a sufficient reason.
How to Apply
Every first-time applicant has to complete a 16-hour Handgun Permit Training Course from a qualified instructor. The course covers Maryland firearm law, home firearm safety, and handgun operation, and it ends with a live-fire qualification you must score at least 70 percent on. Renewal applicants take an 8-hour version of the same course.3Cornell Law School. Maryland Code Regs 29.03.02.05 – Training Requirement Private instructors typically charge about $300 to $350 for the course, and you will pay separately for mandatory LiveScan fingerprinting.
The state application fee is $125 for an initial permit and $75 for a renewal.4Maryland State Police Licensing Division. Fees for Licensing Division Applications Once the State Police have your completed application and fee, expect a decision within 90 days. Your first permit expires on the last day of your birth month two years after it is issued; after that, renewals run on a three-year cycle.1Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Wear and Carry Permit
The Permit Is Not a Purchase License
The Wear and Carry Permit lets you carry. To actually buy, rent, or receive a handgun in Maryland, you need a separate Handgun Qualification License (HQL). If you already hold a valid Wear and Carry Permit, you can request a “Permit Exempt” HQL at no cost and without resubmitting fingerprints.5Maryland State Police. Handgun Qualification License
Where You Can’t Carry Even With a Permit
The Gun Safety Act of 2023, which took effect October 1, 2023, significantly expanded the list of sensitive places where firearms are prohibited statewide. Under Maryland Criminal Law § 4-111, restricted locations include schools and childcare facilities, government-owned or government-leased buildings (which must post a sign at the main entrance), establishments licensed to sell alcohol or cannabis for on-site consumption, stadiums, museums, racetracks, and video lottery facilities.6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-1117Maryland General Assembly. Criminal Law – Wearing Carrying or Transporting Firearms – Restrictions (Gun Safety Act of 2023)
Private property is the rule most carriers get wrong. In Maryland, carrying on someone else’s property is prohibited unless the owner has posted a sign welcoming firearms or has given you express permission.7Maryland General Assembly. Criminal Law – Wearing Carrying or Transporting Firearms – Restrictions (Gun Safety Act of 2023) That is the opposite of how most states treat private property, where carrying is allowed unless a “no firearms” sign is posted. Assume private property is off-limits until told otherwise.
Several provisions of the Gun Safety Act face ongoing federal court challenges, so some of these restrictions could change. Check the Maryland State Police website before relying on any specific rule.
A separate statute prohibits possessing any firearm at a public demonstration, or within 1,000 feet of one in a vehicle, after a law enforcement officer has told you a demonstration is taking place and ordered you to leave. Violating that is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.8Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-208 – Possession of Firearm at Public Demonstration
Open Carry and Long Guns
Openly carrying a handgun does not get you around the permit requirement. Maryland’s statute covers wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun “whether concealed or open,” so you need a Wear and Carry Permit either way.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-203
Long guns work differently. Maryland does not prohibit openly carrying a rifle or shotgun in public, and no specific permit is required. In practice, walking through downtown Baltimore with a rifle will draw police attention, and brandishing it or carrying it in a way that causes public alarm can trigger charges under other statutes. Certain assault-style long guns and assault pistols are banned outright in Maryland, so not every long gun is legal to possess in the first place.10Maryland Department of State Police. Firearm Search
Transporting a Handgun Without a Permit
If you don’t have a Wear and Carry Permit, you can still legally move a handgun under narrow conditions. The handgun must be unloaded and inside an enclosed case or enclosed holster. The State Police recommend keeping ammunition separate and storing the firearm in the trunk or another area not accessible to driver or passengers.11Maryland Department of State Police. FAQs – Section: Firearms
Even properly secured, the trip itself has to fit one of these purposes:
- Between your residences
- To or from a licensed dealer for purchase, sale, or repair
- To or from a shooting range, hunting area, or sporting event
- Between your home and a business you substantially own and operate
These exceptions only cover you while you are actually traveling to or from one of those destinations. Stopping for extended errands along the way breaks the protection.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-203
Penalties for Carrying Without a Permit
Carrying a handgun in Baltimore without a valid permit is a misdemeanor, with penalties that climb for repeat offenses:
- First offense: 30 days to 5 years in prison, a fine of $250 to $2,500, or both.
- Second offense: 1 to 10 years in prison. The court cannot sentence below the one-year minimum.
- Third or subsequent offense: 3 to 10 years in prison. The court cannot sentence below the three-year minimum.
Penalties are higher if the offense happens on public school property or involves carrying with intent to injure or kill.12Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-203 – Wearing Carrying or Transporting Handgun Violating the sensitive-places rules carries its own penalties, up to a year in prison for knowingly carrying on private property without permission, and up to 15 months and a $7,500 fine for repeat violations in government buildings or special purpose areas.7Maryland General Assembly. Criminal Law – Wearing Carrying or Transporting Firearms – Restrictions (Gun Safety Act of 2023)
Self-Defense Is Not Stand Your Ground
Maryland’s self-defense rules come from case law rather than a single statute. Under the common law framework, you have a duty to retreat before using deadly force in public if you can do so safely. Retreat is not required if it would put you at greater risk.
To claim self-defense successfully, you generally have to show you had reasonable grounds to believe you faced an immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm, that you did not start or provoke the confrontation, and that you used no more force than the situation demanded. Deadly force is treated as a last resort. That is a stricter standard than in “stand your ground” states, and it applies throughout Baltimore.
Bringing a Permit From Another State
Maryland has limited reciprocity. If you hold a concealed carry permit from another state, do not assume it works in Baltimore. Maryland recognizes permits from only a handful of states, and many popular permit-issuing states aren’t on the list. Check the current list on the Maryland State Police website before you travel. If your state isn’t recognized, you either need a Maryland permit or must transport the firearm unloaded and secured under the federal safe-passage provision in 18 U.S.C. § 926A, which protects interstate transport through states where you cannot legally carry, as long as the firearm is inaccessible and unloaded during transit.11Maryland Department of State Police. FAQs – Section: Firearms