Maryland concealed carry laws and reciprocity

Public Safety s.5-308 requires a permit holder to carry the permit whenever carrying, wearing, or transporting a handgun, but neither the Public Safety Article nor the Criminal Law Article requires a permit holder to notify an officer or to display the permit on demand; the value rests on the absence of such a provision.

Carrying or knowingly transporting a handgun in a vehicle on a public road or parking lot requires a permit. Without one, a handgun may be transported only unloaded, in an enclosed case or enclosed holster, for listed purposes such as trips to a range, repair shop, or between home and business.

Wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun, openly or concealed, on the person or in a vehicle on public roads requires a wear-and-carry permit. Narrow exceptions cover one's own home, property, or business and unloaded, cased transport for listed purposes.

The Secretary of State Police must issue a permit to applicants who meet the statutory criteria. These include age 21 (or military service), 16 hours of approved training, and a background investigation. The current statute has no 'good and substantial reason' requirement.

The permit qualifications in Public Safety 5-306 include no residency requirement, so nonresidents may apply to the Maryland State Police. Fingerprints must be taken by a Maryland-approved LiveScan vendor; out-of-state providers are not approved.

Criminal Law 4-203 prohibits wearing or carrying a handgun, concealed or open, without a wear-and-carry permit. Permit holders remain subject to the prohibited-places law.

Blocked by a court

Criminal Law s.6-411 makes it a misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $1,000) to carry a firearm into another's dwelling without express permission, or onto other private property unless the owner has posted a clear and conspicuous sign stating that carrying a firearm is permissible or has given express permission. The Maryland State Police state that after the Fourth Circuit's January 20, 2026 decision in Kipke v. Moore affirmed the district court's injunction, s.6-411 cannot be enforced pending U.S. Supreme Court review, leaving posted signs enforceable only through the general trespass statutes while the injunction stands.

Not being enforced

Criminal Law 4-111 bars carrying in places licensed to sell or dispense alcohol or cannabis for on-site consumption. MSP states (updated July 10, 2026) that the Fourth Circuit upheld this in Kipke v. Moore but stayed its opinion pending Supreme Court review, and the restriction cannot be enforced in the meantime.

COMAR 08.07.06.04 bars anyone other than a law enforcement officer from possessing a weapon in a State park. Exceptions cover approved ranges and exhibitions, designated target shooting, and licensed hunters crossing parks in season with cased or unloaded guns. MSP reports the Fourth Circuit upheld this restriction in Kipke v. Moore.

Places of worship are not among the sensitive places in Criminal Law 4-111 or on MSP's prohibited-places list. A wear-and-carry permit is still required, and listed areas on the same grounds, such as a private school or preschool, remain off-limits.

Criminal Law 4-111 prohibits carrying a firearm in any building of a public or private institution of higher education. The statute does not list campus grounds outside buildings.

Under Criminal Law 4-111 and related laws, carry is barred even for permit holders in these places: schools and school property, preschools, child care centers, and health care facilities; government buildings; higher-education buildings; polling places; and power plants. Also covered are state parks and forests, stadiums, museums, amusement parks, racetracks, casinos, and legislative buildings. MSP says bans on alcohol-serving locations, on private property without owner consent, and within 1,000 feet of a public demonstration cannot be enforced pending Supreme Court review in Kipke v. Moore.

Maryland self-defense law includes a duty to retreat when retreat is possible and consistent with safety, with a castle-doctrine exception for attacks in one's home. This is how the Department of Legislative Services described current law in 2026.

Criminal Law 4-305 prohibits manufacturing, selling, offering for sale, purchasing, receiving, or transferring a detachable magazine that holds more than 10 rounds. The section does not prohibit possession.

Criminal Law 4-303 prohibits transporting an assault weapon into Maryland and possessing, selling, transferring, purchasing, or receiving one. Exceptions cover assault long guns and copycat weapons lawfully possessed before Oct. 1, 2013 and assault pistols registered by Aug. 1, 1994.

Neither the Criminal Law Article nor the Public Safety Article prohibits possessing a firearm suppressor; the term 'firearm silencer' appears only in Criminal Law s.5-621, which doubles the mandatory minimum sentence when a silenced firearm is used in a drug trafficking crime. The value rests on the absence of a state provision; federal NFA requirements apply separately.

MSP guidance says a short-barreled rifle may be built if it complies with federal law and has an overall length of at least 29 inches. A semiautomatic centerfire rifle under 29 inches overall is a banned 'copycat weapon'.

Public Safety s.5-203 prohibits possessing a short-barreled shotgun (defined in Criminal Law s.4-201) unless the person is on-duty law enforcement or military or the shotgun has been registered with the federal government in accordance with federal law, and places the burden of proving registration on the defendant; a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 5 years and $5,000. State law thus defers to federal NFA registration rather than adding a separate state condition.