Maryland has enacted strong gun safety laws, though some of this lifesaving progress is undermined by guns trafficked in from states with weaker laws.
In 2024, Maryland had the 13th lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 797 people die from gun violence in the state. That means that someone dies from gun violence every 11 hours. Thirty-six percent of those deaths are gun suicides, and 63% are gun homicides. In Maryland, the rate of gun deaths decreased 3% from 2015 to 2024, while the gun death rate rose 15% nationwide over this same time period.
What Maryland Does Well
- Universal background checks
- Handgun permit to purchase
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Certain domestic violence gun laws
- Assault weapon restrictions
- Large capacity magazine ban
- Strong concealed carry law
- Certain open carry regulations
- Child access prevention laws
- Ghost gun regulations
- Location restrictions
- Some investments in community violence intervention
- Gun industry accountability law
What Maryland Is Missing
- Gaps in domestic violence laws
- Strong firearm relinquishment laws
- Licensing for long guns
- Victims’ private right of action against the gun industry
SPOTLIGHT
GUN LAW SCORECARD
Every year, the data is clear: States with strong gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
Read MoreEXPLORE MARYLAND’S GUN LAWS
WHO CAN HAVE A GUN
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
GUNS IN PUBLIC
HARDWARE & AMMUNITION
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We’re in this together. To build a safer America—one where children and parents in every neighborhood can learn, play, work, and worship without fear of gun violence—we need you standing beside us in this fight.
