What are the concealed weapons laws for Maryland?

Answer 1

It is illegal in Maryland to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Since Maryland is a "may issue" state, the police have final discretion over who gets such a permit. In practice, unless he or she has very good police or political connections, the only way an ordinary citizen will get a permit is to provide proof of recent assaults or death threats (including police reports), and even this is no guarantee. Of course you have to have a spotless record and submit fingerprints to the state police and the FBI. Good luck with that. Maryland is notorious for being a difficult state to obtain CCW permits. It is illegal in Maryland to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Since Maryland is a "may issue" state, the police have final discretion over who gets such a permit. In practice, unless he or she has very good police or political connections, the only way an ordinary citizen will get a permit is to provide proof of recent assaults or death threats (including police reports), and even this is no guarantee. Of course you have to have a spotless record and submit fingerprints to the state police and the FBI. Good luck with that. Maryland is notorious for being a difficult state to obtain CCW permits.

Answer 2

Depends if you are referring to a handgun, or a non-firearm weapon.

Handguns cannot be concealed or openly worn on one's person in Maryland without a special permit from the State Police. These permits are only granted to armed guards, business owners who make cash drops, retire police officers, private detectives, and sometimes pharmacists and doctors. Unlike nearly every other state in the US, they do not issue these permits to civilians for self-defense purposes, not unless they have three police-documented threats on their life. And those situations almost never happen because the petitioner receiving the threats tends to be dead by then.

A variety of non-firearm weapons are illegal to carry concealed, or to be carried openly if there is clear intent to unlawfully harm someone. This is all under one statute and it is notable that this law does not make it illegal to carry non-firearm weapons of any sort openly if their is not criminal intent (unless a city ordinance says otherwise). Weapons prohibited from concealed carry include brass knuckles, daggers, bowie knives, straight razors, blackjacks, throwing stars, and switchblade knives. Weapons provided with exemptions (thereby making them legal to conceal) are folding knives knives of any size, and pepper spray. Several known items are not clearly legal or illegal to carry concealed (but are legal for open carry), such as collapsible batons and single-edge fixed knives. Case law indicates that the legality of these weapon in practice is a matter of intent and circumstances.