SB 118 imposes a new excise tax on gross receipts from firearm, accessory, and ammunition sales by federally licensed dealers in Maryland. The tax revenue will fund specific community safety programs: 26% to violence prevention initiatives, 26% to trauma centers, 20% to community safety partnerships, and smaller portions to survivor support and trauma physician services. The bill rewrites multiple sections of Maryland law to create this tax, establish revenue distribution rules, and define key terms like "firearm" and "ammunition." It explicitly states the funding is intended to supplement, not replace, existing state funding for these programs.
SB 20, the "Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act," modifies Maryland's domestic violence protective order process to require firearm surrender when abuse involves firearms or threats. It directly affects victims seeking protective orders, respondents (abusers) who possess firearms, and law enforcement handling these cases. Key provisions mandate petitioners to provide specific firearm details (make, model, location, and vehicle info) if firearms are alleged to be in the respondent's possession, and require courts to automatically order firearm surrender and license relinquishment in temporary protective orders when abuse involved firearm use, threats, or serious harm. This strengthens firearm safety measures during domestic violence proceedings without changing eligibility for protective orders.
HB 281 requires background checks for individuals working with children in specific settings. It mandates licensed child care centers, family child care homes, foster care facilities, schools, camps, and similar organizations to obtain national and state criminal history checks for all employees, volunteers, and certain caregivers - including neighbors or friends providing sudden care due to a primary caretaker's unavailability. Facilities must submit fingerprints and pay a fee to the Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository. The bill directly affects providers serving minors and expands background check requirements to include new categories like "sudden caregivers" and individuals residing in homes where informal child care occurs.
SB 323 (Youth Charging Reform Act) removes restrictions that previously prevented Maryland juvenile courts from handling cases involving youth aged 16 and older accused of serious crimes. It repeals provisions that excluded such cases for offenses like murder, robbery, gun crimes, and aggravated violence, expanding juvenile court jurisdiction to include these charges. Now, youth 16+ facing these specific allegations will be processed in juvenile court instead of being automatically sent to adult court. This change affects juvenile courts, prosecutors, and youth aged 16+ charged with the listed offenses under Maryland law.
HB 171 modifies Maryland's definition of "drug trafficking crime" to include misdemeanor cannabis possession or distribution violations (under sections 5-602(b)(1) and 5-603(b)), expanding the scope of offenses triggering firearm restrictions. This means individuals charged with certain cannabis-related misdemeanors could now face enhanced penalties if they possess a firearm during the offense. The bill mandates a minimum 5-year prison sentence for a first offense and 10 years for repeat offenses, with no possibility of sentence suspension or parole eligibility. It directly affects people convicted of cannabis misdemeanors who possess firearms, as these offenses would now qualify as "drug trafficking crimes" under the law. The changes would take effect October 1, 2026.
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.
SB 362 (the Ny'Kala Strawder Act) amends Maryland law to increase penalties for storing or leaving a loaded firearm where a person knew or should have known an unsupervised minor could access it. It prohibits negligent firearm storage in locations accessible to minors, making violations a misdemeanor punishable by up to 5 years in prison or a $1,000 fine, or both. Exceptions include supervised access by an adult, unlawful entry, law enforcement possession during duties, or a minor with a valid hunter safety certificate. The law also explicitly states violations cannot be used as evidence of negligence in civil cases or referenced during civil trials involving firearm-related injuries or deaths. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.
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.
