Moving to Maryland, what am I in for?

[trbon8r]

Well, it's a done deal now. I was hoping my wife would get a D.C. job so we could live in Virginia which I understand is more gun friendly, but alas she was selected for the Baltimore job instead. This is no slam on the good state of Maryland (which is my wife's home state). Maryland is beautiful, and the people are great, but I was hoping to live in Virginia since RKBA is a bit friendlier there.

I've got some specific questions, mostly regarding California "registered" black guns that I bought before the 2000 ban in CA. Some I registered in CA, but on some others I thumbed my nose at CA and moved the weapons out of state to Nevada to avoid registering.

1. AR-15. What about importing my Bushmaster, Lauer, and Rock River AR rifles into the state of Maryland? Can I bring my rifles and grandfathered 30 round mags from CA with me?

2. MAK 90 converted to pistol grip with USA parts kit. Same as above, but with 30 round mags?

3. Are M1As legal there with bayonet lug and 20 round mag? I've got three M1As and a stack of 20 rounders. One rifle has the bayonet lug, the other two have the flash suppressor but neutered lug.

4. FAL. I've got a DSA FAL with muzzle brake and a bunch of 20 rounders. Is this legal to bring in?

5. Handguns. Les Baer 1911, Colt XSE, Browning Hi-Power .40, Springfield XD-45 Tactical?

6. Is there a mag capacity limit for pistols? For example, here in CA my XD-45 is limited to 10 round mags.

7. Is there CCW in Maryland?

Thanks for the info!!!!! See you all in Maryland in about two months. I'm not sure if I'm going from the frying pan in CA and into the fire in MD in terms of RKBA, but it is what it is. Hope to meet a few of you guys there!

Bye Bye CA, let the illegal aliens have it.

 

[Norton]

Compared to California, Maryland will seem like a breath of fresh air (not much of a standard to compare it against, but I'm feeling generous tonight )

Looking at your list, there's nothing that you can't already buy here. The only question I have is the MAK90. That's an AK rifle, right? By saying that you have a pistol grip, I assume it still has a buttstock. As long as it does, you should be good to go. The only things that are completely verboten in MD are "assault pistols".

Magazines - good to go.

CCW - we'll get there eventually, but not soon IMHO

You'll get a lot of folks saying to live in PA. While it's definitely better than MD for now, we need people like you here to stand with us and fix this state so that PA doesn't become MD. Afterall, where do you think all of those people in southern PA are coming from? They're all from MD, of course, and will eventually get to work trying to change PA into MD.

Let us know when you get here. First round of drinks is on me.

 

[Spot77]

As Norton said, you'll think MD is utopia compared to California.

Buy all the sks's you want while you're here. Cash, NIC and carry.

Same with HBAR AR15's.

Once you're in Maryland you can't buy magazines over 20 round. You can own them....you just can't buy, sell or otherwise "transfer" them while in MD. Cross into PA or VA and buy all the biggermags you want.

Welcome to Maryland and join in the fun. The mid term elections are in November; hopefully you'll be here in time to vote!

Any idea what area you'll be living in?

 

[Byron Quick]

Judging from your post and location, you're already accustomed to living behind enemy lines. Compared to the PRK, you'll feel a weak breath of freedom in Maryland.

I won't be back until there are major changes in their CCW laws.

 

[Spot77]

I won't be back until there are major changes in their CCW laws.

Hopefully brother, you'll be back in 2 to 3 years.

Let's keep our fingers crossed on these mid term elections!

 

[madmattmd]

Lot’s of good folks here in Maryland. Let us know what area you locate to. I’m in Carroll County (relatively rural area Northwest of Baltimore). Depending on your shooting interest, there are some pretty good clubs but few “public” ranges.

Good luck with your move,
Matt

 

[Andras]

The following are the only weapons banned from importation or purchase in Maryland

§ 4-301. "Assault pistol" defined.
In this subtitle, "assault pistol" means any of the following firearms or a copy regardless of the producer or manufacturer:
(1) AA Arms AP-9 semiautomatic pistol;
(2) Bushmaster semiautomatic pistol;
(3) Claridge HI-TEC semiautomatic pistol;
(4) D Max Industries semiautomatic pistol;
(5) Encom MK-IV, MP-9, or MP-45 semiautomatic pistol;
(6) Heckler and Koch semiautomatic SP-89 pistol;
(7) Holmes MP-83 semiautomatic pistol;
(8) Ingram MAC 10/11 semiautomatic pistol and variations including the Partisan Avenger and the SWD Cobray;
(9) Intratec TEC-9/DC-9 semiautomatic pistol in any centerfire variation;
(10) P.A.W.S. type semiautomatic pistol;
(11) Skorpion semiautomatic pistol;
(12) Spectre double action semiautomatic pistol (Sile, F.I.E., Mitchell);
(13) UZI semiautomatic pistol;
(14) Weaver Arms semiautomatic Nighthawk pistol; or
(15) Wilkinson semiautomatic "Linda" pistol.

§ 4-303. Assault pistols - Prohibited.
(a) In general.- Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a person may not:
(1) transport an assault pistol into the State; or
(2) possess, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, or receive an assault pistol.
(b) Exception.- A person who lawfully possessed an assault pistol before June 1, 1994 and who registered the assault pistol with the Secretary of the State Police before August 1, 1994 may continue to possess the assault pistol.

This link defines 'assault weapons' that require a background check before purchase.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I won't go into my opinion of MD again (less than a year left here ).

Coming from Cali though it will probably be an improvement for you though.

 

[Norton]

I won't go into my opinion of MD again (less than a year left here ).

As least you'll be here through this round of elections

 

[amprecon]

Personally I wouldn't register anything with anybody! As a MD born native and having lived there most of my life on the Eastern Shore, I felt that it was no one's business what firearms I owned and aside from purchasing a few there, those were the only ones they knew about and were going to ever know about.
I had a firearm wherever I went and I never had a permit, they made it nearly impossible to acquire one.
On the Eastern Shore you would not even realize there are gun laws as it is still mostly rural and farmland. The people are still very conservative and mostly gun owners and hunters and have no reservations about using firearms to protect their families which is not a frequent necessity anyway.
However, the Baltimore area is another story, like any other big city in the country they don't believe that citizens have the intelligence or capacity to protect themselves and feel that they can do it better, which doesn't explain the 1,000% more crime and violent crime than in non-city areas around the country.
But who am I to speak? I'm not even a college graduate so I'm not qualified to opine on these matters and politicians know better than I do.

 

[trbon8r]

Sounds good and better than expected! From the way everyone talks about Maryland I was expecting there would be more restrictions than there are.

I guess everything is relative. The laws here in CA are so draconian with the handgun drop tests, "approved lists", and AW bans. Even though I hear many people complaining about the laws in MD, it sounds great by comparison to CA!

My wife and I will probably be locating somewhere between D.C. and Baltimore. I'm hoping to find some good places to shoot, hopefully a good indoor pistol range, as well as outdoor that has some IDPA action. I'd love to find a good outdoor rifle range as well, hopefully something at least a couple hundred yards if possible.

 

[MikeH]

There are a few indoor pistol ranges between DC and Balto. I've only been to On Target. Shootable, but I wish the ventilation is better.

I don't know of any public outdoor range in the area. Ft. Meade has one that goes to 600 (?) yds, but it is members only.

NRA database will give you a pretty comprehensive list. I'm sure the rest of the folks can fill in on personal observations.

Lastly welcome to MD. We need all the pro-gun voters we can get.

 

[Andras]

Maryland Small Arms Range near Andrews Air Force Base is a decent indoor range that's easy to get to. $15 per session, unlimited on time.

 

[roscoe]

MD is more restrictive about having a pistol in your car than CA. Simply - you can't, unless you are on the way to a range.

Also, carying without a permit (not that we would ever consider it) is a greater risk in MD. In CA they can let you off with a fine.

Good luck in MD - I will probably move back there next year myself.

 

[madmattmd]

There are a couple of decent indoor ranges located between Baltimore and Washington. On Target in Severn (near Ft. Meade) and the machine gun place in Glen Burnie (I can't recall the name right now). Continental just north of Baltimore is good too. A new indoor range just opened within the last year just over the line near Glen Rock, Pennsylvania.

Carroll County, where I live, has a nice Public Range (yearly subscription or daily rates).

Also, there is a pretty nice private membership range setup in Marriottsville run by a group called the Associated Gun Clubs of Maryland. Anne Arundel Fish & Game near Annapolis may interest you too (they have a full slate of shooting activities).

For IDPA, which I also shoot, the three main ones are located at AAF&G in Annapolis (several shoots a month generally April through October), Thurmont (a little over an hour's drive west from Baltimore above Frederick) once a month, and Sanner's Lake in Southern Maryland. Finally, West Shore Sportsman near York, Pennsylvania (about an hour north of Baltimore).

Let me know when you hit town and perhaps we can hook up to give you a "tour" of shooting opportunities.

Take care,
Matt

 

[ZeroCool]

Like others have said, you will have no problems bringing your firearms list into the state. You can also buy all the EBR's you want while here (just have to wait 7-10 days on most of them).

That said, you probably wont find the handgun selection quite as good here as in California. From what I understand, while california does have the dumb drop test, we have quite rigorous rules on handguns as well. We need internal locks, shell casings... the whole works. You wont/will have a hard time finding less common brands like CZ, Dan Wesson... etc. All I ever really see are Kimber, Ruger, Taurus, Beretta, Sig and Glock.

BTW, welcome... and as we like to say "If the housing costs don't kill ya, spend an evening in Baltimore".

 

[anapex]

You'll get a lot of folks saying to live in PA. While it's definitely better than MD for now, we need people like you here to stand with us and fix this state so that PA doesn't become MD. Afterall, where do you think all of those people in southern PA are coming from? They're all from MD, of course, and will eventually get to work trying to change PA into MD.

Way to go ahead and make a guy feel bad See if I let you shoot that 28 gauge again.

 

[trbon8r]

Thanks again for the info. I'll let you guys know when I make it to town. It won't be until sometime in November or early December.

Everything sounds good with the exception of no public outdoor rifle range. Does anyone know of a good private range to join, and what the costs might be?

 

[Norton]

Way to go ahead and make a guy feel bad See if I let you shoot that 28 gauge again

We can give y'all a pass....you've done your time and served well.

When's the big move?

 

[Byron Quick]

Also, carrying without a permit (not that we would ever consider it) is a greater risk in MD.

Just out of curiousity, what's the penalty for carrying without permission in Maryland?

I've done it in the past but then decided, the heck with it, I'm not going where carrying makes me a criminal.

A shame, there's a lot of places I'd like to visit.

 

[madmattmd]

The Hap Baker Firearms Facility just south of Westminster (1/2 an hour North of the Beltway on RT 140) in Carroll County has a 10 lane rifle range with distances from 25 yds to 200 yds. Also, a couple of years ago they built a separate dedicated 9 lane pistol range (5 yds to 17 yrds). They have an RO on the line continuously and it's a nice place to shoot.

Currently, the Range Fees run $10/day for in county resident and $15/day for out of county. A "season pass" (one year January through December) runs $40/year for incounty and $70/year for out of county. It's a decent deal considering the costs involved with government run public range.

My suggestion would be to look into a membership in a local club. I belong to one and the yearly fee is only $50 (after $75 initiation fee). It's a great way to meet others shooters to.

Matt

 

[zoom6zoom]

Didn't Maryland do away with the shell casing requirement?

 

[Norton]

Didn't Maryland do away with the shell casing requirement?

They've defunded the program, meaning they are collected but nothing is done with them. The fired casing is still required by law however

The antis got what they wanted though....a defacto ban on certain models of handguns because some manufacturers refuse to play that game.

 

[boxcab]

Welcome

turbon8r,

Welcome to Maryland. As soon as you can, register to vote. We need all the freedom fighters we can convince to move here and help us vote in sensible politicians.

Those that suggest moving elsewhere are only hurting themselves. We need to rid the country of all islands of hope that the liberals have. Maryland is run my liberals only because the freedom fighters have not stood up for their rights and cast their votes.

Once again, welcome and I look forward to seeing you on a range sometime.

-Boxcab

 

[LaEscopeta]

MD is more restrictive about having a pistol in your car than CA. Simply - you can't, unless you are on the way to a range.

Officially you can’t carry ANY firearm in you vehicle without a CCW unless you are directly transporting it between your home, business, gun shop, range, or out of state location. (I'll try to post a link to the State law if I get a chance.) People say it is technically illegal to stop for gas on the way home from the range, but I have not heard of anyone getting charged for that. Basically you can as many of almost any kind of firearm you want in your home or business (if you own it or have the owner’s permission) but after that the restrictions start.