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 2022, Maryland had the sixteenth lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 799 people die from gun violence in the state. That means that someone dies from gun violence every 11 hours. Thirty-five percent of those deaths are gun suicides, and 64% are gun homicides. In Maryland, the rate of gun deaths increased 40% from 2013 to 2022, compared to a 36% increase nationwide. Since 2018, Maryland has allowed a family member, law enforcement officer, or mental health professional to petition courts for extreme risk protection orders to temporarily disarm an individual in crisis.
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
The data is clear: states with stronger 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.
