Can You Open Carry in Maryland? Permits, Limits, and Penalties

Open carry in Maryland is illegal for handguns unless you hold a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit, and even with that permit a 2023 law bars firearms from a long list of public places. Long guns like rifles and shotguns are less tightly regulated and don’t require a permit to carry, but they cannot be loaded inside a vehicle. Penalties for carrying a handgun without authority start at 30 days in jail and climb quickly from there.

Handguns: Permit Required

Maryland law prohibits wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun on your person or in a vehicle, openly or concealed, unless you fit a specific exception.¹ The main civilian exception is a Wear and Carry Permit issued by the Maryland State Police. Law enforcement officers, active military on duty, and correctional officers are exempt while performing their duties.

Without a permit, you can transport a handgun only in a few narrow situations: between your residences, to and from a legitimate repair shop, between your home and a business you own, or to and from hunting, target practice, or a firearms safety class. In each of these, the handgun must be unloaded and enclosed in a case or holster.¹ A loaded handgun tucked in a glove box does not meet this standard.

The statute also presumes that if a handgun is found in your vehicle, you knew it was there. You can rebut that presumption, but the burden sits with you.

Long Guns: No Permit, but Still Limited

Rifles and shotguns are not covered by the handgun permit requirement. Maryland does not specifically regulate the open carry of long guns, so you don’t need a permit to have a rifle or shotgun with you in most settings.²

Legal does not mean unrestricted. You cannot have a loaded shotgun, or a rifle with ammunition in the magazine or chamber, inside a vehicle. That rule comes from Maryland’s wildlife code and applies whether or not you’re hunting.³ If a loaded long gun is found in a vehicle with multiple people in it and the specific violator cannot be identified, the law presumes the owner of the vehicle is responsible. The safer practice is to keep the long gun unloaded, in a case, and separated from ammunition.

Maryland also bans a list of named assault weapons and “copycat weapons” that share certain features with those models. If your rifle matches the configuration of a banned weapon, carrying or transporting it can result in criminal charges regardless of how it’s stored.⁴

Where You Still Cannot Carry with a Permit

Maryland’s Firearms Safety Act of 2023 (Senate Bill 1) added an extensive list of places where firearms are prohibited even if you hold a Wear and Carry Permit. These restrictions apply to all firearms, not just handguns.⁵

Government and Infrastructure

Firearms are banned in buildings owned or leased by state or local government, in buildings belonging to public or private colleges and universities, at polling places and ballot canvassing locations, and at utility infrastructure including electric, gas, and nuclear facilities. Government buildings must post signs at the main entrance.

Schools, Healthcare, and Youth Facilities

Firearms are prohibited at preschools and prekindergarten facilities, private elementary and secondary schools, youth camps, healthcare facilities, and shelters for runaway youth. Public school property is covered separately under the handgun statute, with a 90-day mandatory minimum jail sentence for a first violation.¹

Alcohol, Entertainment, and Public Gatherings

Bars, restaurants, and dispensaries licensed for on-site alcohol or cannabis consumption are off limits, along with stadiums, museums, racetracks, casinos, amusement parks, fairs, carnivals, live theater, and ticketed concerts. SB1 also prohibits firearms within 100 yards of any public gathering, demonstration, or event requiring a permit.⁵

Private Property Is Opt-In

Maryland treats private property as closed to firearms by default. You cannot carry a firearm onto someone else’s property unless the owner has given you permission or posted a sign allowing it. For a private dwelling, the owner or their agent must give unambiguous verbal or written permission. For other private property, either a clearly visible sign stating that firearms are allowed, or direct personal permission from the owner, is enough.⁵

If you walk into a private business or a friend’s home with no sign and no explicit go-ahead, carrying is a violation.

Penalties for Illegal Handgun Carry

Carrying a handgun without authority is a misdemeanor in Maryland, but the sentences are serious and climb with repeat offenses.¹

First offense: 30 days to 5 years in prison, a fine of $250 to $2,500, or both.
First offense on school property: minimum 90 days in prison.
Second offense: 1 to 10 years, with a 1-year mandatory minimum.
Second offense on school property: 3 to 10 years, mandatory minimum.
Third or later offense: 3 to 10 years, with a 3-year mandatory minimum.

When the handgun is loaded, the mandatory minimums cannot be suspended and the person is not eligible for parole during the mandatory portion of the sentence.

Getting a Wear and Carry Permit

The Maryland State Police issue Wear and Carry Permits through an online portal. The fee is $125 for an initial application and $75 for renewal, plus fingerprinting costs.⁶ To qualify, you must:

Be at least 21, or an active member of the armed forces or National Guard.
Have no felony convictions, no misdemeanors carrying a sentence over one year, and no controlled-substance convictions.
Have no involuntary mental health admission of more than 30 consecutive days, and no history of violent behavior tied to a mental health condition.
Have no active protective orders, extreme risk orders, or other court orders barring firearm possession.
Complete a 16-hour firearms safety course within two years before applying. Renewals require an 8-hour course.

These standards come from Maryland’s Public Safety Article, which also requires the State Police to run a background investigation before issuing the permit.⁷ You will need LiveScan fingerprinting completed before applying, a signed qualification score sheet from your training course, and a passport-style photo.⁶

Out-of-State Permits and Driving Through Maryland

Maryland does not recognize concealed carry permits from any other state. A Virginia, Pennsylvania, or any other out-of-state permit has no legal effect inside Maryland. To carry a handgun here, you need a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit.

Federal law gives a limited safe harbor for people simply passing through. Under 18 U.S.C. § 926A, if the firearm is legal at both your origin and destination, you may transport it through Maryland provided it is unloaded and stored where it is not readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle with no separate trunk, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container that is not the glove compartment or center console.⁸ That protection covers transit only. Overnight stays or stops to run errands put you back under Maryland law in full.

Firearms are also barred from all federal buildings where federal employees regularly work, as well as federal courthouses, regardless of any state permit.⁹

1
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Law Code 4-203 – Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting a Handgun
2
Everytown Research & Policy. Gun Laws in Maryland
3
Justia Law. Maryland Natural Resources Code 10-410
4
Maryland Department of State Police. Regulated Firearms – Public Safety Title 5 Subtitle 1
5
Maryland General Assembly. Senate Bill 1 Chapter 680 – Firearms Safety Act of 2023
6
Maryland Department of State Police. Wear and Carry Permit
7
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code, Public Safety 5-306
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities