Regulated Firearm FAQs
Find answers about how to purchase, rent, transfer, or voluntarily register a regulated firearm in the State of Maryland.
Regulated Firearms FAQs
No, a lower receiver of a banned assault long gun is classified by the State as a “firearm," but not a “handgun". A Handgun Qualification License (HQL) is only needed if you are purchasing a handgun that is not classified as a curio and relic.
Yes, a lower receiver of a banned assault long gun may be manufactured provided there is compliance with federal and other state laws—into a handgun.
No, a lower receiver of a banned assault long gun purchased after 10/1/2013 may be built—provided there is compliance with federal and other state laws—only into a handgun, a short barreled rifle that has an overall length of 29 inches or greater, or if the lower receiver is an AR15 platform, into a heavy barrel model.
The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Please refer to the Public Safety and Correctional Services website for fingerprinting details and locations.
Habitual user is a person who has been found guilty of two controlled dangerous substance crimes, one of which occurred in the past 5 years.
Habitual drunkard is a person who has been found guilty of any three crimes under § 21-902(a), (b), or (c) of the Transportation Article, one of which occurred in the past year.
Yes. Please see the Handgun Qualification License page for more information.
No, Maryland law does not allow the Maryland State Police to access your criminal record without first having an application on file.
Even though you have recently purchased a handgun legally, a background check is still required. MSP must ensure that since the time of your purchase you have not been served a protective order, or been arrested, convicted of a disqualifying crime, or placed on supervised probation, etc.
A person may not purchase more than one regulated firearm in a 30-Day period. You may complete more than one application within 30 days, however you may not transfer or take possession of more than one firearm within the 30 day period. Exceptions to this rule are listed on the Regulated Firearms Collector page.
If there are any discrepancies discovered on the 77R application and/or during any records checks, the application will be placed on hold pending further review by a Maryland State Trooper to ensure the applicant is not prohibited from possessing a regulated firearm.
Applications are processed in the order that they are received. To check the status of your submitted applications, log into your Licensing Portal account and click CONTINUE TO DASHBOARD in the upper right corner. From the dashboard click on 77R APPLICATIONS to view the current status of your 77R applications. Additional questions or concerns may be emailed to the Firearms Registration Unit.