Criminal Justice (Firearms)

HB 605 establishes a Gun Violence Victim Relocation Program within Maryland's Victim Services Unit to help eligible victims of gun violence relocate for safety. The program assists victims who experienced violence near their home or live near a suspect, and need relocation to protect themselves or their families, by providing relocation assistance, moving expenses, rent support, counseling, legal aid, and job training. It creates a dedicated nonlapsing fund to finance these services and requires the Victim Services Unit to keep applicants' personal information confidential. The program also mandates collaboration with housing and law enforcement agencies to ensure comprehensive support for participants.

HB 409, the Youth Charging Reform Act, expands juvenile court jurisdiction by removing automatic transfers to adult court for certain serious offenses committed by youth aged 16 and older. It directly affects Maryland youth aged 16+ accused of specific crimes like robbery, murder, carjacking, or firearm-related offenses - previously excluded from juvenile court. The bill repeals sections that barred juvenile court from handling these cases, meaning such offenses will now typically be processed in juvenile court unless a judge orders transfer. This change modifies jurisdiction rules in Maryland’s Courts, Criminal Procedure, and Education codes, shifting how these cases are handled without altering sentencing outcomes.

HB 83, the Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act, modifies Maryland's domestic violence protective order process to strengthen firearm safety measures. The bill requires petitioners seeking protective orders to provide specific details about a respondent's firearms - including make, model, location, and whether stored in a vehicle - if the petition alleges abuse involving firearms. Judges must then order the respondent to surrender all firearms and firearm licenses in cases where abuse involved firearm use, threats with a firearm, or serious bodily harm (with or without firearm threat). This directly affects domestic violence victims and respondents in protective order cases, creating clearer mechanisms for law enforcement to enforce firearm surrender during temporary protective orders under Sections 4-504(e) and 4-505(a)(viii) of Maryland's Family Law.

HB 577 prohibits the manufacture, sale, purchase, possession, or transfer of "machine gun convertible pistols" in Maryland after a specified date. These are defined as semiautomatic pistols with a special trigger mechanism that can be easily converted to automatic fire using common tools or a "pistol converter" device. The bill creates new criminal penalties for violating this ban, with key exceptions allowing law enforcement use, licensed dealer transactions for specific purposes, and inheritance by qualified individuals. It does not affect standard semiautomatic firearms or restrict existing lawfully owned weapons.

SB 27 adds a 7-day waiting period for most firearm sales, rentals, or transfers in Maryland, requiring a 7-day delay after an application is submitted. It directly exempts law enforcement officers (current or retired in good standing) and individuals with a valid permit to carry a handgun under Maryland law from this waiting period. The bill modifies existing law to clarify that these specific groups can complete transactions immediately without the standard delay. This applies to all regulated firearm transactions governed by Maryland's Public Safety laws, without changing the general waiting period for other buyers.