What do I bring...

boisepaw · Mar 14, 2018

The die is cast. The wheels have turned to far to go back now. My wife started her home-health job in Queen Anne's County and my grandsons are waiting to play in the back yard with PawPaw. I'm moving to Maryland within the next 2-4 months. And I need some help deciding what firearms to bring.

I stopped at the sheriff's office. They sent me to the MSP office down the road. I stopped there and they gave me no answers except "go to the website". I called an FFL in Anne Arundel County and they scared the livin' daylights out of me. Their basic advice: ship all of your firearms that you want to have in Maryland to an FFL and pick them up from them. I don't think so.

Is there anyone, REALLY well versed in the Maryland laws on the subject, who would be willing to be in touch with me by phone or by email to help me figure out what to bring and what to leave behind and what notifications I might need to give to the state upon crossing the state line?

Peter Wierenga

Trew2Life · Mar 14, 2018

New Resident

As part of the Firearms Safety Act of 2013 effective October 1, 2013, a person who moves into Maryland with the intent of becoming a resident shall register all regulated firearms with the Secretary of the Maryland Department of State Police within 90 days after establishing residency.

The new resident registration shall include the make, model, manufacturer’s serial number, caliber, type, barrel length, finish, and country of origin for each regulated firearms. The registration system is accessible online through MyLicense.

The electronic registration fee will be $15, regardless of the number of firearms registered.

http://mdsp.maryland.gov/Organizati...censingDivision/Registration/NewResident.aspx

Imkeenstranger · Mar 14, 2018

Been planning this move for a while?

Hit and Run · Mar 14, 2018

Trew2Life said:
New Resident

As part of the Firearms Safety Act of 2013 effective October 1, 2013, a person who moves into Maryland with the intent of becoming a resident shall register all regulated firearms with the Secretary of the Maryland Department of State Police within 90 days after establishing residency.

The new resident registration shall include the make, model, manufacturer’s serial number, caliber, type, barrel length, finish, and country of origin for each regulated firearms. The registration system is accessible online through MyLicense.

The electronic registration fee will be $15, regardless of the number of firearms registered.

http://mdsp.maryland.gov/Organizati...censingDivision/Registration/NewResident.aspx

This

Today regulated pretty much means handguns going forward. If you have a semi-automatic centerfire rifle it gets a little more tricky. If it was formerly regulated it is now banned, but depending on when purchased it could be a grandfathered weapon. 10/1/2013 is the magic date.

Hawkeye · Mar 14, 2018

boisepaw said:
The die is cast. The wheels have turned to far to go back now. My wife started her home-health job in Queen Anne's County and my grandsons are waiting to play in the back yard with PawPaw. I'm moving to Maryland within the next 2-4 months. And I need some help deciding what firearms to bring.

I stopped at the sheriff's office. They sent me to the MSP office down the road. I stopped there and they gave me no answers except "go to the website". I called an FFL in Anne Arundel County and they scared the livin' daylights out of me. Their basic advice: ship all of your firearms that you want to have in Maryland to an FFL and pick them up from them. I don't think so.

Is there anyone, REALLY well versed in the Maryland laws on the subject, who would be willing to be in touch with me by phone or by email to help me figure out what to bring and what to leave behind and what notifications I might need to give to the state upon crossing the state line?

First of all, welcome to Maryland.

Second of all, you may want to take your email address and phone number out of your post. That's easily harvestable by bots and scammers, etc.

For your questions:

"Normal" long guns and shotguns, bring them and you don't have to do anything special.

Handguns: bring them, and (unless they're an "assault pistol, which I will get to) you have to register them with the Maryland State Police within 90 days of establishing residency.

For "assault weapons" (I hate the term but it is what it is) it's a little more tricky.

If and only if you possessed that weapon or had a purchase order in for that weapon before October 1, 2013 you may bring it with you but you must register them with the MSP within 90 days of establishing residency. If you didn't possess them before that date they are banned and you may not bring them in to Maryland at all.

What's an assault weapon?

Maryland law defines an "assault weapon" as:
1) AN ASSAULT LONG GUN;
2) AN ASSAULT PISTOL; OR
3) A COPYCAT WEAPON.

An "assault long gun" is:
Any of these rifles, or their copies (defined as having completely interchangeable parts)

(i) American Arms Spectre da Semiautomatic carbine;
(ii) AK–47 in all forms;
(iii) Algimec AGM–1 type semi–auto;
(iv) AR 100 type semi–auto;
(v) AR 180 type semi–auto;
(vi) Argentine L.S.R. semi–auto;
(vii) Australian Automatic Arms SAR type semi–auto;
(viii) Auto–Ordnance Thompson M1 and 1927 semi–automatics;
(ix) Barrett light .50 cal. semi–auto;
(x) Beretta AR70 type semi–auto;
(xi) Bushmaster semi–auto rifle;
(xii) Calico models M–100 and M–900;
(xiii) CIS SR 88 type semi–auto;
(xiv) Claridge HI TEC C–9 carbines;
(xv) Colt AR–15, CAR–15, and all imitations except Colt AR–15 Sporter H–BAR rifle;
(xvi) Daewoo MAX 1 and MAX 2, aka AR 100, 110C, K–1, and K–2;
(xvii) Dragunov Chinese made semi–auto;
(xviii) Famas semi–auto (.223 caliber);
(xix) Feather AT–9 semi–auto;
(xx) FN LAR and FN FAL assault rifle;
(xxi) FNC semi–auto type carbine;
(xxii) F.I.E./Franchi LAW 12 and SPAS 12 assault shotgun;
(xxiii) Steyr–AUG–SA semi–auto;
(xxiv) Galil models AR and ARM semi–auto;
(xxv) Heckler and Koch HK–91 A3, HK–93 A2, HK–94 A2 and A3;
(xxvi) Holmes model 88 shotgun;
(xxvii) Avtomat Kalashnikov semiautomatic rifle in any format;
(xxviii) Manchester Arms “Commando” MK–45, MK–9;
(xxix) Mandell TAC–1 semi–auto carbine;
(xxx) Mossberg model 500 Bullpup assault shotgun;
(xxxi) Sterling Mark 6;
(xxxii) P.A.W.S. carbine;
(xxxiii) Ruger mini–14 folding stock model (.223 caliber);
(xxxiv) SIG 550/551 assault rifle (.223 caliber);
(xxxv) SKS with detachable magazine;
(xxxvi) AP–74 Commando type semi–auto;
(xxxvii) Springfield Armory BM–59, SAR–48, G3, SAR–3, M–21 sniper rifle, M1A, excluding the M1 Garand;
(xxxviii) Street sweeper assault type shotgun;
(xxxix) Striker 12 assault shotgun in all formats;
(xl) Unique F11 semi–auto type;
(xli) Daewoo USAS 12 semi–auto shotgun;
(xlii) UZI 9mm carbine or rifle;
(xliii) Valmet M–76 and M–78 semi–auto;
(xliv) Weaver Arms “Nighthawk” semi–auto carbine; or
(xlv) Wilkinson Arms 9mm semi–auto “Terry”.

The notable thing there is that HBAR or heavy barrel AR15s are NOT considered assault weapons because they are exempted.

An "assault pistol" is:

(1) AA Arms AP–9 semiautomatic pistol;
(2) Bushmaster semiautomatic pistol;
(3) Claridge HI–TEC semiautomatic pistol;
(4) D Max Industries semiautomatic pistol;
(5) Encom MK–IV, MP–9, or MP–45 semiautomatic pistol;
(6) Heckler and Koch semiautomatic SP–89 pistol;
(7) Holmes MP–83 semiautomatic pistol;
(8) Ingram MAC 10/11 semiautomatic pistol and variations including
the Partisan Avenger and the SWD Cobray;
(9) Intratec TEC–9/DC–9 semiautomatic pistol in any centerfire variation;
(10) P.A.W.S. type semiautomatic pistol;
(11) Skorpion semiautomatic pistol;
(12) Spectre double action semiautomatic pistol (Sile, F.I.E., Mitchell);
(13) UZI semiautomatic pistol;
(14) Weaver Arms semiautomatic Nighthawk pistol; or
(15) Wilkinson semiautomatic “Linda” pistol.

A "copycat weapon" means: (forgive formatting, I am copy / pasting from the actual statute)

(I) A SEMIAUTOMATIC CENTERFIRE RIFLE THAT CAN ACCEPT A DETACHABLE MAGAZINE AND HAS ANY TWO OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. A folding (not collapsible) stock.
2. A grenade launcher
3. A flash suppressor
OR
(II) A SEMIAUTOMATIC CENTERFIRE RIFLE THAT HAS A FIXED MAGAZINE WITH THE CAPACITY TO ACCEPT MORE THAN 10 ROUNDS;
OR
(III) A SEMIAUTOMATIC CENTERFIRE RIFLE THAT HAS AN OVERALL LENGTH OF LESS THAN 29 INCHES;
OR
A SEMIAUTOMATIC PISTOL WITH A FIXED MAGAZINE THAT CAN ACCEPT MORE THAN 10 ROUNDS;
OR
A SEMIAUTOMATIC SHOTGUN THAT HAS A FOLDING STOCK
OR
A SHOTGUN WITH A REVOLVING CYLINDER

Got that?

So in short:
Handguns (unless they're on the "evil" list above, or are a semiauto pistol with a fixed magazine that holds more than ten rounds) bring them and register them.
"Normal" shotguns and rifles - bring them and that's it. No registration required.
"Assault weapons" that meet the criteria above - bring them and register them ONLY if you owned them prior to October 1, 2013. Otherwise it's illegal for you to bring them here.

Sorry that was such a mess, but our laws are convoluted and suck.

Blacksmith101 · Mar 14, 2018

Hawkeye good post but in the "So in short:" section why would you register "Normal" long guns they are not regulated and no required registration?

Squaregrouper · Mar 14, 2018

One more important thing about moving here. Idaho needs to share this with dumb Marylanders...
Flying from BWI To SLC Utah for a 6hr layover, then flying to Boise to get a rental car to drive to Twin Falls isn't the best idea on Earth.
Ask me how I know...

Hawkeye · Mar 14, 2018

Blacksmith101 said:
Hawkeye good post but in the "So in short:" section why would you register "Normal" long guns they are not regulated and no required registration?

Because my brain hurt after doing all that and I typed the wrong thing in the wrong place.

Thanks for pointing it out. It's fixed now.

dist1646 · Mar 14, 2018

OP, you have my sympathies!

44man · Mar 14, 2018

Delaware would have been a better move

ShafTed · Mar 14, 2018

OP, you can bring all your guns with you if you move to Pennsylvania, Virginia or Delaware. Then the grandkids could play in a back yard in America.

Mack C-85 · Mar 14, 2018

Simple answer......Queen Anne's county shares a border with Delaware, cross it!!!

Sent from my SM-J320P using Tapatalk

Blaster229 · Mar 14, 2018

There is no punishment for not registering when becoming a resident.

Alea Jacta Est · Mar 14, 2018

^^^^^sometimes better to deal with the potential for forgiveness than to ask details AND get permission

Hawkeye · Mar 14, 2018

Blaster229 said:
There is no punishment for not registering when becoming a resident.

Really? I don't think that's true.

That statute is MD Pub Safety Code § 5-143. I looked through it, and sure enough there is no penalty or punishment defined in that section of the code for not registering.

However.... in § 5-144 it says that:

(a) Prohibited. -- Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, a dealer or other person may not:

(1) knowingly participate in the illegal sale, rental, transfer, purchase, possession, or receipt of a regulated firearm in violation of this subtitle; or

(2) knowingly violate § 5-142 of this subtitle.

(b) Penalty. -- A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding $ 10,000 or both.

(c) Separate crime. -- Each violation of this section is a separate crime.

I guess it comes down to "knowingly." If you knowingly possessed an unregistered regulated firearm more than 90 days after moving to Maryland, then your'e in violation of the subtitle (It's MD PSC, Title 5, Firearms, Subtitle 1, Regulated Firearms) and therefore guilty of a crime punishable by 5 years in prison, which is a prohibiting offense.

I would register them.

ETA: You can look all of this up here:
https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2016/public-safety/title-5/subtitle-1/

AlanInSilverSpring · Mar 14, 2018

Not advocating violating the law, but since the language of the law says "knowingly", in order to prosecute you wouldn't they need evidence that you knew it was a crime. Seems to me the worst they could do would be to inform you of the statute and then you would have to register them.

Yes, I know, in the real world they likely arrest you and take your firearms, then even if not convicted you still have the major pia of going to court, paying an attorney, and trying to get your stuff back. And they would get away with it saying they were acting in good faith.

Not worth the risk imo

AlanInSilverSpring · Mar 14, 2018

And of course if they found this thread then boisepaw would be SOL :kicknuts:

Allen65 · Mar 14, 2018

AlanInSilverSpring said:
Not advocating violating the law, but since the language of the law says "knowingly", in order to prosecute you wouldn't they need evidence that you knew it was a crime. Seems to me the worst they could do would be to inform you of the statute and then you would have to register them.

Um, no. Ignorance of the law is no defense. "Knowingly" refers to knowing or having should have known, of the possession itself, regardless of whether you knew whether that possession was legal.

boisepaw · Mar 15, 2018

Yeah...our kids moved back there bit by bit over the last 10 years...different kids to Annapolis and to D.C. and now to Queenstown. But it ALL changed when our only two grandkids were born. That's a whole different level of priority...

boisepaw · Mar 15, 2018

VERY helpful. Thanks so much.

What do I bring...

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