← Maryland firearms laws›Transporting Firearms
Maryland Transporting Firearms Laws (2026)
Restricted: Without a Maryland permit, a handgun may be transported only to or from a legal purchase, sale or repair shop; between your homes, or home and a business you substantially own and operate; and to, from or during target shooting, hunting, trapping and other listed activities.
Without a Maryland permit, a handgun may be transported only to or from a legal purchase, sale or repair shop; between your homes, or home and a business you substantially own and operate; and to, from or during target shooting, hunting, trapping and other listed activities. It must be unloaded and in an enclosed case or enclosed holster. Federal law (18 U.S.C. 926A) covers travel through only if the firearm is unloaded, lawful for you to possess and carry at both ends, and it and any ammunition are not reachable from the passenger area; with no trunk, use a locked container, not the glove box or console.
Official source: mdsp.maryland.gov →
General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.
Transporting Firearms in states bordering Maryland
The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.
- DelawareConditional
Delaware's statutes set no method for carrying a handgun in a vehicle. Treat a handgun hidden in a vehicle as concealed. Carrying it concealed without a Delaware license or a recognized out-of-state permit is a class D felony. It is a statutory defense to that charge if the firearm is stored in a locked box or container, in a locked firearms rack on the vehicle, or locked in the trunk. If you leave a firearm unattended in a vehicle, it must be stored one of those ways, even if you hold a Delaware license.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: attorneygeneral.delaware.gov · Full Delaware rule →
- District of ColumbiaRestricted
Without a DC license, you may transport a firearm in DC only for a lawful purpose, from a place where you may lawfully possess and carry it to another such place. …
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: mpdc.dc.gov · Full District of Columbia rule →
- PennsylvaniaConditional
Without a Pennsylvania license, carrying a handgun in a vehicle is a third-degree felony unless an exception applies (a first-degree misdemeanor if you were otherwise eligible and broke no other law). …
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: pa.gov · Full Pennsylvania rule →
- VirginiaConditional
Without a permit, you may carry a handgun in a private vehicle if it is secured in a container or compartment; it does not have to be locked. A permit is needed to carry it concealed on your person. Since July 1, 2026, knowingly leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle on a public highway, other public property or a commercial or retail parking area is a Class 4 misdemeanor unless it is out of plain view in a locked hard-sided container. A locked glove compartment or console counts.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Full Virginia rule →
- West VirginiaPermitted
Anyone 18 or older who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident and is not barred from having a gun may carry a handgun in a vehicle, concealed or in view, with no license or permit. Guns are banned on school buses and on school grounds, with limited exceptions. Local and private-property rules can add limits.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: ago.wv.gov · Full West Virginia rule →
We watch the official sources behind Maryland firearms rules. If a tracked rule changes, you get one short email — never more than one a week. Free, unsubscribe anytime.