# Criminal Law (GCR)

## Title 4. Weapon Crimes

### Subtitle 3. Assault Weapons and Detachable Magazines

#### Section 4-301

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.

(b) "Assault long gun" means any assault weapon listed under Sec. 5-101(r)(2) of the Public Safety Article.

(c) "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.

(d) "Assault weapon" means:

  (1) an assault long gun;

  (2) an assault pistol; or

  (3) a copycat weapon.

(e) "Binary trigger system" means a device that, when installed in or attached to a firearm, fires both when the trigger is pulled and on release of the trigger.

(f) "Bump stock" means a device that, when installed in or attached to a firearm, increases the rate of fire of the firearm by using energy from the recoil of the firearm to generate a reciprocating action that facilitates repeated activation of the trigger.

(g) "Burst trigger system" means a device that, when installed in or attached to a firearm, allows the firearm to discharge two or more shots with a single pull of the trigger by altering the trigger reset.

(h) "Common household tool" includes a screwdriver, a pipe wrench, pliers, a hacksaw, a crowbar, an electric drill, a rotary tool, a hammer, a chisel, a file, and a crescent wrench.

(i)

  (1) "Copycat weapon" means:

    (i) a semiautomatic centerfire rifle that can accept a detachable magazine and has any two of the following:

      (1) a folding stock;

      (2) a grenade launcher or flare launcher; or

      (3) a flash suppressor;

    (ii) a semiautomatic centerfire rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds;

    (iii) a semiautomatic centerfire rifle that has an overall length of less than 29 inches;

    (iv) a semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds;

    (v) a semiautomatic shotgun that has a folding stock; or

    (vi) a shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

  (2) "Copycat weapon" does not include an assault long gun or an assault pistol.

(j) "Cruciform trigger bar" means a component in a semiautomatic pistol that:

  (1) serves as a link between the trigger and the firing pin; and

  (2) has its sear incorporated into a cross-shaped surface.

(k) "Detachable magazine" means an ammunition feeding device that can be removed readily from a firearm without requiring disassembly of the firearm action or without the use of a tool, including a bullet or cartridge.

(l) "Flash suppressor" means a device that functions, or is intended to function, to perceptibly reduce or redirect muzzle flash from the shooter's field of vision.

(m) "Hellfire trigger" means a device that, when installed in or attached to a firearm, disengages the trigger return spring when the trigger is pulled.

(n) "Licensed firearms dealer" means a person who holds a dealer's license under Title 5, Subtitle 1 of the Public Safety Article.

(o)

  (1) "Machine gun convertible pistol" means any semiautomatic pistol with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted by hand or by using common household tools into a machine gun by the installation or attachment of a pistol converter as a replacement for the slide's backplate.

  (2) "Machine gun convertible pistol" includes a semiautomatic pistol described under paragraph (1) of this subsection, regardless of whether a tab or other piece of material is located on the rear portion of the pistol frame to block the attachment of a pistol converter, if the tab or other piece of material can be readily removed with a common household tool.

  (3) "Machine gun convertible pistol" does not include a hammer-fired semiautomatic pistol or a striker-fired semiautomatic pistol without a cruciform trigger bar.

(p)

  (1) "Pistol converter" means any device or instrument that, when installed in or attached to the rear of the slide of a semiautomatic pistol, replaces the backplate and interferes with the trigger mechanism, which enables the pistol to shoot automatically more than one shot by a single function of the trigger.

  (2) "Pistol converter" includes a pistol converter manufactured using a three-dimensional printer.

(q)

  (1) "Rapid fire activator" means any device, including a removable manual or power-driven activating device, constructed so that, when installed in or attached to a firearm:

    (i) the rate at which the trigger is activated increases; or

    (ii) the rate of fire increases.

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Md. Code Ann., Crim. Law (as displayed at mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 16, 2026)