Lawful Possession of a Firearm Documentation in Maryland 

Within the past couple of years, the debate over gun control has become a major issue. Gun safety and regulations are at the forefront of everyone’s mind and as a result, legislation has gotten increasingly strict when it comes to firearm regulation. Current Maryland gun laws dictate that in order to legally own a handgun, you must have a handgun qualification license. Lawful possession of a firearm documentation in Maryland has become a way of simultaneously protecting individuals’ rights, while also protecting the public from people who might wield their weapons irresponsibly. If you want to know more about gun laws in Maryland, contact a qualified gun lawyer that can answer your questions, and fight for you.

How to Legally Acquire a Firearm

A person in Maryland who wants to possess a firearm is going to have to use a licensed firearms dealer. There are businesses that go through all of the requirements to be able to sell firearms and that is the process required if someone wants to possess a handgun. A firearm is different from a handgun. Firearms are able to be purchased. If it is a rifle or a shotgun, there are other places where those can be purchased.

Handgun Qualification Licenses

Over time, gun laws in Maryland have become increasingly strict, even requiring lawful possession of a firearm documentation in Maryland. In 2013, the law changed so that a Maryland resident has to have a qualification license before they are allowed to purchase or rent, or receive a handgun. That law was retroactive but from 2013 forward, if somebody was going to purchase a handgun, they would have to get their handgun qualification license.

That is an additional step that people have to take, and in order to purchase a firearm, they would have to go through a process utilizing a firearms dealer in order to make a purchase. There is still the ability to sell one by way of a private sale but there are still a lot of requirements for that and it does require the completion of an application, and that application process includes a background check. It is possible that a person will be denied the ability to purchase a gun if they are not approved.

When Can a Person With a Valid Registration Lawfully Carry a Firearm?

A firearm in Maryland is defined as something that is not a handgun or an assault weapon. When thinking about a rifle or a shotgun that would be used for hunting or clay shooting or something like that, those types of rifles or shotguns are not nearly as regulated as handguns or assault weapons are. If someone is able to legally possess a rifle or a shotgun, then they do not have to have a permit in order to purchase it and how they transport it is up to them.

Transporting Firearms

If a person lawfully possesses a firearm, there are some specific rules in Maryland regarding how to do that and when someone can do so. In addition to that, there are also regulations in place for somebody who wants to be able to wear or carry a firearm on their person.

There may be certain statutes through the Department of Natural Resources but there is always a prohibition from transporting these types of firearms when they are loaded. A person can carry a rifle or a shotgun as long as it is not loaded in any way that they want. The rules become much stricter when talking about possessing a handgun. In any instance, it is important for individuals to carry lawful possession of a firearm documentation in Maryland.

Documentation Needed to Carry a Firearm

It may be confusing trying to figure out when to carry lawful possession of a firearm documentation in Maryland. If it is a rifle or a shotgun, a person does not need to have any specific documentation. If it is a handgun, then there are a couple of different pieces of documentation that they would want to make sure that they have.

If a person has gone the extra step to be able to get a permit to carry-conceal, then they will always want to have that permit with them so if they encounter law enforcement, they can prove that they have been given the necessary permit to carry their handgun concealed.

It is strongly recommended that any client needs to be prepared to present that paperwork at any time if they have contact with law enforcement. If you want to know more, get in touch with a knowledgeable gun attorney today.