How to Get a Gun License in Maryland: HQL and Wear and Carry Permit

To get a gun license in Maryland, you apply through the Maryland State Police for one of two licenses depending on what you want to do: a Handgun Qualification License (HQL) if you want to buy, rent, or receive a handgun, and a Wear and Carry Permit if you want to carry one outside your home or business. Each has its own training, fingerprinting, fees, and processing time, and carrying in public requires both.

Two Licenses, Two Purposes

Maryland separates buying a handgun from carrying one. The HQL lets you purchase, rent, or receive a handgun, but it does not authorize you to carry.¹ The Wear and Carry Permit is what allows you to have a handgun on your person in public. After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, you no longer have to show a specific reason for wanting to carry; personal protection is sufficient.²

Rifles and shotguns are not covered here. The HQL applies specifically to handguns, which Maryland classifies as regulated firearms.

How to Get an HQL

Check That You Qualify

You must be at least 21 and a Maryland resident, and you cannot be prohibited from possessing a handgun under state or federal law.³ Common disqualifiers include felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions where the offense is punishable by more than two years in Maryland, domestic violence convictions, certain juvenile adjudications, and controlled substance offenses. Active protective orders and involuntary mental health commitments also disqualify you.⁴ The State Police check state and federal criminal databases, so out-of-state offenses can surface.

Take the Training (or Use an Exemption)

The HQL firearms safety course runs at least four hours and covers Maryland firearm law, home safety, and handgun operation, with a hands-on component where you fire a handgun.⁵ Training must be completed within three years before you apply.³ Certified private instructors teach the course; fees typically run $100 to $200.

You can skip the training if you fall into one of these categories:

Honorably discharged veterans of the armed forces or National Guard (bring your DD-214).
Current owners of a handgun already registered to you in Maryland (provide the serial number on the application).
Holders of a Department of Natural Resources hunter safety card.
Qualified handgun instructors approved by the State Police.

Exempt applicants still need fingerprints and still submit the full application.³

Get Fingerprinted

You need LiveScan electronic fingerprints from an approved Maryland fingerprinting location. These get sent to the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System and the FBI.⁶ At the fingerprinting site, provide the agency authorization number that ties your prints to the HQL program. Prints stay valid for 12 months, so don’t get them too early. Expect roughly $50 to $75 for the service, separate from the application fee.

Apply Through the Licensing Portal

All HQL applications run through the Maryland State Police Licensing Portal.⁷ Create an account, enter your information, and upload your training certificate and LiveScan receipt. If you qualify for a training exemption, upload the supporting document (DD-214, serial number, or DNR card) instead. The application fee is $50, paid electronically.⁸

The State Police have up to 30 days to process the application. You’ll get email notifications as it moves along, and the approved HQL arrives by email.⁹

Buying a Handgun Once You Have the HQL

Having an HQL doesn’t complete the purchase. At the dealer, you’ll go through a separate NICS background check on every regulated firearm you buy. Maryland also imposes a seven-day waiting period on regulated firearm purchases, so you won’t leave the store with the gun that day. You’re limited to one regulated firearm every 30 days unless you obtain a multiple-purchase exemption from the State Police.

How to Get a Wear and Carry Permit

Check That You Qualify

You must be at least 21, or an active member of the uniformed services or National Guard.¹⁰ Disqualifiers include:

A felony conviction, or a misdemeanor where a sentence of more than one year was actually imposed.
Any controlled substance conviction.
Supervised probation for a crime punishable by a year or more, certain DUI offenses, or protective order violations.
A mental health disorder combined with a history of violent behavior.
Involuntary commitment to a mental health facility for more than 30 consecutive days.
An active protective order or extreme risk order.

The State Police also examine whether an applicant has shown a pattern of violence or instability.¹⁰

Complete the 16-Hour Training

Wear and Carry training is 16 hours with a qualified handgun instructor, covering Maryland firearm law, home safety, and handgun operation. It includes a live-fire qualification: at least 25 rounds at targets no farther than 15 yards, with a minimum 70% accuracy score.¹¹

Apply Through the Licensing Portal

The Wear and Carry application also runs through the MSP Licensing Portal.⁷ Upload your training certificate, the completed live-fire score sheet (MSP Form 29-14), your LiveScan fingerprint receipt, and a passport-style photograph.¹² When you pick a permit category, choose “Personal Protection”; you no longer attach a justification.

The fee is $75.⁸ Processing can take up to 90 days. If the State Police haven’t acted within 90 days, you have a statutory right to request a hearing.²

Where the Permit Doesn’t Let You Carry

Even with a valid Wear and Carry Permit, Maryland law prohibits firearms in a long list of places, and this area is being actively litigated. Check the State Police website before carrying in an unfamiliar setting.

As of early 2026, these restrictions have been upheld by the Fourth Circuit and are enforceable:²

State and local government buildings
Schools, preschools, and school grounds
Colleges and universities
Healthcare facilities
Mass transit facilities
State parks, state forests, and Chesapeake forest lands
Museums
Stadiums, racetracks, amusement parks, and casinos
Polling places during elections
Nuclear power plants and utility facilities

Three additional restrictions are currently stayed pending possible U.S. Supreme Court review and are not enforceable as of this writing: carrying at locations that sell alcohol for on-site consumption, carrying on private property without the owner’s consent, and carrying within 1,000 feet of a public demonstration.² Those stays could be lifted at any time.

Renewals

An HQL is valid for 10 years. Renewal costs $20 and requires no new fingerprints or training, provided you apply before your current license expires.¹ Submit at least 14 days before the expiration date. If your HQL lapses, you cannot simply renew: you start over with a new application, new training, and new fingerprints, at full cost.

The initial Wear and Carry Permit expires on the last day of your birth month following two years after issuance. Renewals then run on three-year cycles. The renewal fee is $50.⁸ Each renewal requires an eight-hour refresher course with a live-fire qualification, and you upload the score sheet through the Licensing Portal.²

If You’re Denied

An HQL denial comes with a written explanation of the reason. For a Wear and Carry denial, you have 10 days after receiving written notice to file a written request for review with the Handgun Permit Review Board. The Board has 90 days to review the record or hold a hearing, and you can submit additional evidence. If the Board still denies you, its written decision must explain why, and you can seek judicial review under Maryland’s Administrative Procedure Act.¹³

1
Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Qualification License
2
Maryland Department of State Police. Wear and Carry Permit
3
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-117.1
4
Maryland Department of State Police. State Law Disqualifications
5
Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Qualification License Training
6
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Fingerprint Services
7
Maryland Department of State Police. Licensing Division – Licensing Portal
8
Maryland Department of State Police. Fees for Licensing Division Applications
9
Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Qualification License Guide
10
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-306
11
Maryland Department of State Police. Wear and Carry Permit Training
12
Maryland Department of State Police. Wear and Carry Permit Application Instructions
13
Maryland Department of State Police. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-312