Saturday, March 21, 2020

Obtaining a Handgun Qualification License (HQL) in Maryland

It's pretty straight forward ... and I applaud the process ... I am all for ownership rights, but also all for keeping guns out of the hands of assholes.

Bought a handgun from grabagun.com ... good price and reviews gave the gun I choose good marks for the price.  They cannot ship you the weapon (either handgun or long gun) ... it has to go to an Federal Firearms Licensed dealer in your area.  Grab A Gun has a good link to ones in your area, so use their list.  The FFL will receive the gun and you go in with your HQL and Drivers License to get it handed over.  The FFL I choose charges $50 for a long gun handover and $100 for a handgun.

Anyway, the process is straight forward ... get your training on handgun safety ... you can find places that can do the process here.  I did not need to do this as I am ex-military, so I used my DD214 to get it waived.

Then, go here to get the process moving with the Maryland State Police (you need to setup an account).  Only thing to note is that the web site is not very intuitive ... just note the menu system on the left of the page and you won't have any issues.  I found one person / site that said you needed to use Microsofts browser, but I use Chrome and had no issues.

You'll need to input your DD214 or Training Certificate information while filling out the application.  Once that's gone as far as you can, you need to get finger printed via the "LiveScan" system ... you can find all the people who can do it here.  You can also use Google Maps, bring up your area, and search for "Live Scan" ... you'll find tons of groups that do it in your area.  They all should charge around $50, and some require appointments, but for myself, I found one in a small town and was able to walk in ... zero wait time.  You get a receipt that has your file number.

NOTE:  That file is only available to the Maryland State Police for a few days, so don't delay (at least that's what I was told).

Now, go back to your application site here to continue ... input your fingerprinting receipt number, answer 20 questions (like "am I nuts" ... yes / no) and then you can PAY FEEs ... $50.  Careful on the questions ... you get into the habit of answering NO, then at the end it asks "are you a US citizen" and "is everything the truth" so I'd advise switching over to YES for those two (but that's just me).

Wait up to 30 days and the license arrives (assuming you did everything right).  But, your not yet done.

You now need to complete your form 77R at the Maryland State Police Licensing Portal.  So yet another web site here ... and there you input pretty much the same information, except now you need to input your Handgun Qualification License number.  Within an hour, you will get an email with your PIN number.  Take that PIN number to the FFL where your handgun is located (or about to be bought) and you AND they fill out a form to submit (and pay the transfer fee).  From there, you wait 7 days and THEN you can take your gun.  Note that 7 days is not 7 FULL days, but 7 days, so if, like me, you fill out your paperwork on a Tuesday at 3 PM, you wait thru:
Day 1:  The Tuesday you completed the form.
Day 2:  Wednesday
Day 3:  Thursday
Day 4:  Friday
Day 5:  Saturday
Day 6:  Sunday
Day 7:  Monday
So on the following Tuesday, you can pick up the gun.

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