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§ 4-303. Assault weapons--Prohibited

West's Annotated Code of MarylandCriminal LawEffective: October 1, 2018

West's Annotated Code of Maryland
Criminal Law (Refs & Annos)
Title 4. Weapon Crimes
Subtitle 3. Assault Weapons and Detachable Magazines (Refs & Annos)
Effective: October 1, 2018
MD Code, Criminal Law, § 4-303
Formerly cited as MD CODE Art. 27, § 36H-3
§ 4-303. Assault weapons--Prohibited
Currentness
In general
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a person may not:
(1) transport an assault weapon into the State; or
(2) possess, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, or receive an assault weapon.
Exception
(b)(1) A person who lawfully possessed an assault pistol before June 1, 1994, and who registered the assault pistol with the Secretary of State Police before August 1, 1994, may:
(i) continue to possess and transport the assault pistol; or
(ii) while carrying a court order requiring the surrender of the assault pistol, transport the assault pistol directly to a law enforcement unit, barracks, or station, a State or local law enforcement agency, or a federally licensed firearms dealer, as applicable, if the person has notified a law enforcement unit, barracks, or station that the person is transporting the assault pistol in accordance with a court order and the assault pistol is unloaded.
(2) A licensed firearms dealer may continue to possess, sell, offer for sale, or transfer an assault long gun or a copycat weapon that the licensed firearms dealer lawfully possessed on or before October 1, 2013.
(3) A person who lawfully possessed, has a purchase order for, or completed an application to purchase an assault long gun or a copycat weapon before October 1, 2013, may:
(i) possess and transport the assault long gun or copycat weapon; or
(ii) while carrying a court order requiring the surrender of the assault long gun or copycat weapon, transport the assault long gun or copycat weapon directly to a law enforcement unit, barracks, or station, a State or local law enforcement agency, or a federally licensed firearms dealer, as applicable, if the person has notified a law enforcement unit, barracks, or station that the person is transporting the assault long gun or copycat weapon in accordance with a court order and the assault long gun or copycat weapon is unloaded.
(4) A person may transport an assault weapon to or from:
(i) an ISO 17025 accredited, National Institute of Justice-approved ballistics testing laboratory; or
(ii) a facility or entity that manufactures or provides research and development testing, analysis, or engineering for personal protective equipment or vehicle protection systems.
(5) A federally licensed firearms dealer may receive and possess an assault weapon received from a person in accordance with a court order to transfer firearms under § 6-234 of the Criminal Procedure Article.

Credits

Added by Acts 2002, c. 26, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 2002. Amended by Acts 2010, c. 712, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2010; Acts 2013, c. 427, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2013; Acts 2018, c. 251, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2018.
Formerly Art. 27, § 36H-3.
MD Code, Criminal Law, § 4-303, MD CRIM LAW § 4-303
Current through legislation effective through April 9, 2023, from the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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