ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland State Police have outlined several new firearms laws passed during the 2026 General Assembly session, including new reporting requirements for licensed gun dealers, restrictions on machine gun convertible pistols and rules requiring firearms surrendered through gun buyback programs to be destroyed.
The notification was issued by the Maryland State Police Licensing Division. It summarizes firearms legislation passed during the General Assembly session held Jan. 14 through April 13, 2026.
Most of the new laws take effect Oct. 1, 2026. A key prohibition involving machine gun convertible pistols is scheduled to begin Jan. 1, 2027.
One new law, Senate Bill 160 and House Bill 284, requires licensed firearms dealers to notify the Secretary of State Police within 24 hours after learning of a burglary, attempted burglary, robbery or theft involving a firearm or ammunition at the business or storage location. Dealers must also notify state police if a required security feature has been compromised, including failures involving video recording equipment, unauthorized-entry prevention features, burglary alarm monitoring or physical barriers.
The notification requirement is separate from any report made to local law enforcement or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A first violation carries a civil penalty of up to $250, while a second or later violation carries a civil penalty of up to $1,000.
Another measure, Senate Bill 331 and House Bill 94, changes expiration and renewal periods for handgun permits issued to retired law enforcement officers who retired in good standing from a Maryland state, county or municipal law enforcement agency.
Under the new law, those permits expire on the last day of the holder’s birth month following five years after the permit is issued. They may be renewed for additional five-year periods if the applicant remains qualified at the time of renewal.
Senate Bill 334 creates new restrictions involving machine gun convertible pistols and expands the definition of a rapid-fire activator to include a pistol converter.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, a person generally may not manufacture, sell, offer for sale, purchase, receive or transfer a machine gun convertible pistol. The law defines the term as certain semiautomatic pistols with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted into a machine gun by installing or attaching a pistol converter as a replacement for the slide’s backplate.
The measure defines a pistol converter as a device installed in or attached to the rear of a semiautomatic pistol slide that replaces the backplate and interferes with the trigger mechanism, allowing the pistol to shoot more than one round automatically with a single trigger function.
The law does not include hammer-fired semiautomatic pistols or striker-fired semiautomatic pistols without a cruciform trigger bar.
A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Maryland State Police must adopt regulations to implement the law and develop a list of prohibited machine gun convertible pistols.
The legislation includes several exceptions, including certain transfers involving law enforcement, licensed dealers, gunsmiths, estates, inheritance and temporary servicing. A person who lawfully obtained and possesses a machine gun convertible pistol may also sell or transfer it to an immediate family member who is not prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law.
Senate Bill 775 creates new rules for gun buyback programs.
The law requires a federal firearms licensee or law enforcement agency operating a gun buyback program to destroy each surrendered firearm, including every component and part attached to it, unless the firearm is determined to be stolen or evidence of a crime.
Before a firearm from a buyback program is destroyed, a law enforcement agency must make reasonable efforts, including checking the National Crime Information Center database, to determine whether the firearm is a crime firearm or has been reported lost or stolen.
A federal firearms licensee or law enforcement agency that violates the destruction requirement may face a fine of up to $10,000 per violation. If the violator is a licensed firearms dealer, the Secretary of State Police must also revoke the dealer’s license.
A person may not operate a gun buyback program except under the new rules. Violators are guilty of a misdemeanor and may face a fine of up to $10,000.
The Maryland State Police notice was issued under a state law requiring the agency to provide a summary of each new firearms law or change to existing firearms law to certain regulated firearm purchasers, transferees and registrants within 45 days after the General Assembly adjourns.
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