Maryland firearm-rights law is its own layer of the analysis. Maryland restricts firearm possession for felony convictions, crimes of violence, and other disqualifying offenses. A pardon is an important restoration route, but federal disability must be analyzed separately.
The federal § 925(c) program is active again.
DOJ finalized its Federal Firearm Rights Restoration rule on August 17, 2026 and is administering applications through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. DOJ announced that the first 5,000 public applicants may apply beginning November 4, 2026. A federal grant removes only the federal disability covered by that relief; independent state restrictions still require separate analysis.
How gun-rights restoration works in Maryland
Pardon-based relief is central for conviction-based Maryland firearm disabilities. A responsible review should start with the exact statute of conviction, the sentence that was imposed, when every sentence requirement ended, and any later criminal history.
Maryland law and the federal § 925(c) process
The federal process under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) can address a federal firearm prohibition, but the effect of federal relief under Maryland law is jurisdiction-specific. A person can therefore have a federal question, a state question, or both. Both layers should be resolved before any firearm is possessed, purchased, received, transported, or handled.
The Collateral Consequences Resource Center’s December 2025 national survey identifies Maryland as one of nine states that give federal 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) relief state-law effect in at least some firearm-rights contexts. That does not mean a federal grant erases every Maryland restriction; the exact statute, conviction, residence, and relief order still need to be matched.
State-law reference point
A commonly cited Maryland provision in this area is Md. Code, Pub. Safety § 5-133. Statutes, cases, definitions, and restoration procedures change, so the current official law and the applicant’s complete record should be checked before relying on a general summary.
What can change the answer?
A pardon, civil-rights restoration, judicial firearm order, passage of a statutory waiting period, federal § 925(c) relief where state law recognizes it, or another qualifying firearm-rights order may alter the analysis depending on Maryland law. The legal effect of the actual signed order matters more than the label someone uses for it.
What to bring to a Maryland rights-restoration review
- Charging document and final judgment or disposition
- Sentencing order and proof of sentence completion
- Current state and federal criminal-history records
- Any pardon, expungement, set-aside, civil-rights restoration, federal restoration, or prior firearm-rights order
- Current state of residence and prior states of residence