Buying handguns in MD?

[Forager]

Okay, so not only am I new to the site, I'm new to MD.

What's the morass of crap one has to navigate in order to buy a handgun in this state?

I've bought, sold, swapped, traded, and otherwise tinkered, shot, and dealt with firearms for over 20 years now, in multiple different states. When I lived in Virginia and then later in North Carolina, there were quite a few gunshops that knew me by name and could pretty much bank on me being in there to buy something new about once a month (or more often... ).

Fortunately, I've got through most of the "hey, that's cool, I wonder what it's like" stage. ARs, AK, .380s, 9s, .40Short&Weaks, 10s, .32s, .44s, whatever... I've BT/DT on a LOT of stuff (I really don't even want to guess at how many firearms I've owned, and even less so at how many I've shot enough to get comfortable with).

That said, how does one actually buy a handgun in this state? Trying to decide how badly I'd REALLY need to have another one to go through whatever it is you have to go through here. Being in NC and VA, and VT before them, spoiled me, I guess.

 

[lx1x]

http://www.mdgunsafety.com/

look in the faq including from the state police website.

welcome

 

[PJDiesel]

1) Take the MSP handgun thingy online: http://www.mdgunsafety.com/
2) Buy guns. Aside from it not being cash & carry like most reasonable states, it's pretty much paperwork, wait 7 days, pick up gun

 

[mikec]

Start here, http://www.mdgunsafety.com/

Then visit gun shop, find handgun, pay a $10 fee to the state police and fill out a 4473 and MD 77R forms. Expect writers cramp with the 77R forms. (poor design) pay for handgun and then wait 8 days. If you have no criminal history the forms come back "Not Disapproved" and you take the handgun home.

The handgun has to be on the approved list, but if you are buying from a MD dealer, it is approved. New handguns must have a fired case but again if buying from a MD shop, they have them.

Any handgun sold after 1/1/02 also has to have an integral lock or an approved external aftermarket lock. You can bring your own, provided it meets MD's rules, as long as the FFL allows. Most do now. A few shops still try to make $$ off of customers this way.

 

[Forager]

What the Hell is that "Firearms Safety Course" thing that's a requirement to legally own a firearm in MD?

 

[Mooseman]

You have to take an online class unless you are ex military or LEO. This can be found at the Maryland Police Training Commision website. You print out a card after watching a video. Take the card to your gun dealer. There is approx. five forms you have to fill out at the dealer. Many questions are repeated on the different forms. Then you have the seven day waiting period. My last seven day wait was sixteen days. Once the Maryland State Police deem you not disapproved, you may pick up your regulated firearm. Hope this helps.

 

[mahead]

the worse thing about being in MD besides the waiting period is the stupid approved list. This can limit what you get here. Also, some places that will not ship to MD even if it is on the approved list. Aside from that its just paperwork.

 

[lx1x]

What the Hell is that "Firearms Safety Course" thing that's a requirement to legally own a firearm in MD?

if you do what i mentioned above you would know the answer..

 

[PJDiesel]

What the Hell is that "Firearms Safety Course" thing that's a requirement to legally own a firearm in MD?

So you don't "shoot your eye out with that" thing I guess.

This state blows, gotta go through the dog and pony show of paperwork and BS, end result is the same though.

 

[mikec]

What the Hell is that "Firearms Safety Course" thing that's a requirement to legally own a firearm in MD?

You do not need to take the safety course to own a handgun, just to buy a handgun after a certain date. If you had a regulated firearm prior to the stupid law you do not need the class. You can still legally own those older firearms.

 

[Forager]

Thinking I might have "just enough" handguns. Maybe....

I had a couple dealers in VA that I had running bets with to see whether I could get the paperwork filled out faster than it took the background check to clear. Ain't fretting a background check, but that 8 day wait thing is stupid.

Same same for "EBR" stuff, right?

 

[mikec]

So you don't "shoot your eye out with that" thing I guess.

This state blows, gotta go through the dog and pony show of paperwork and BS, end result is the same though.

I will repeat this again, yes MD has issues but it is far better than NY. In NY it would take over 6 months and at least $100 in fees to submit and process an application for a pistol permit. During that time you can't own, touch or use a handgun. You are fingerprinted and you must include the names and contact info for four character references who live in the same county and have no criminal record. You also must be interviewed by a county judge who decides if you get the permit.

Join SAF, NRA and MSI and keep MD relatively safe.

 

[mikec]

Thinking I might have "just enough" handguns. Maybe....

I had a couple dealers in VA that I had running bets with to see whether I could get the paperwork filled out faster than it took the background check to clear. Ain't fretting a background check, but that 8 day wait thing is stupid.

Same same for "EBR" stuff, right?

Yes, unless you can make your own receivers.

Note, MD's "EBR" list doesn't include every black rifle.

 

[lx1x]

I will repeat this again, yes MD has issues but it is far better than NY. In NY it would take over 6 months and at least $100 in fees to submit and process an application for a pistol permit. During that time you can't own, touch or use a handgun. You are fingerprinted and you must include the names and contact info for four character references who live in the same county and have no criminal record. You also must be interviewed by a county judge who decides if you get the permit.

Join SAF, NRA and MSI and keep MD relatively safe.

^this..

or dc.. following emily's quest for buying handgun.

 

[PJDiesel]

I will repeat this again, yes MD has issues but it is far better than NY. In NY it would take over 6 months and at least $100 in fees to submit and process an application for a pistol permit. During that time you can't own, touch or use a handgun. You are fingerprinted and you must include the names and contact info for four character references who live in the same county and have no criminal record. You also must be interviewed by a county judge who decides if you get the permit.

Join SAF, NRA and MSI and keep MD relatively safe.

Alrighty, and my buddy in DE can walk in to a gun shop and walk back out with a stack of different guns in about 25 minutes flat. Plus, (get this) he is allowed to carry a concealed firearm too!

MD is no safer than DE, not that I'm aware of.

 

[PJDiesel]

There are lot's of anti 2a people who feed on those type of remarks on a gun board and I don't think we should be fueling their misguided cause.

Twas a joke, as if the waiting "cool down" is a deterent.

I certainly didn't mean it as a literal suggestion.

 

[PJDiesel]

"............." WTF,

Edit the quote, I deleted the comment.

 

[mikec]

Alrighty, and my buddy in DE can walk in to a gun shop and walk back out with a stack of different guns in about 25 minutes flat. Plus, (get this) he is allowed to carry a concealed firearm too!

MD is no safer than DE, not that I'm aware of.

I know that and you know that, so do the fools in the state capital. Hell, Michigan changed their laws in 2001 and gave their citizens carry permits and there hasn't been mass bloodshed there and what state has suffered more in the last 10 years??

The simple rules work in PA or VA but yet the Libs think MD is somehow different. I do not want MD to become like NY.

 

[JavaDan]

Assuming you aren't military or LEO which are slightly different . . . . .

1. Take the one-time, on-line handgun safety course at mdgunsafety.com
2. Make sure the gun you want to buy is on the Md State Police roster of approved regulated guns.
3. Pick out the gun you want at your FFL of choice.
4. Fill out the required federal and state paperwork with the FFL and pay the processing fee.
5. FFL will hold the gun and submit your paperwork to MSP.
6. When FLL is informed by MSP you're not disapproved, respond to FFL to pick up your gun. Usually 7 business days.

If the gun is new, the FFL must supply MSP a spent shell casing fired from the gun being purchased. Some manufactures, e.g. Ruger, furnish it with the gun. Some do not. If the new gun you're buying does not come with it you will need to pay a fee to the FFL to have it "test fired" by somebody with a manufacturer's license so that the casing is available.

Unless you are a Md Designated Collector (fill out a notarized form for MSP), you are limited to buying no more than one regulated gun in any 30 day period.

Handgun Roster: http://www.mdsp.org/Organization/SupportServicesBureau/LicensingDivision/HandgunRoster.aspx

Buying a gun from an individual is similar, but you have the option of doing the transfer at a state police barracks or an FFL, and there is no fired casing requirement.

There are a lot of threads on this forum that go deeper - do some searching.

 

[mahead]

i'm military so I forgot about the stupid training card thing