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Buying a long gun online and transferring it in Annapolis

Order here, collect from a licensed dealer in Anne Arundel County. A short guide to the transfer, the law, and the Bay-side hunting most buyers here have in mind.

We have no storefront in Annapolis or anywhere else. We are an online store, and every rifle or shotgun we sell is shipped to a federally licensed dealer that you pick. Around Annapolis that usually means a shop along Ritchie Highway or Route 3, in Glen Burnie, Pasadena, Severn or Crofton, or, for people who hunt the Eastern Shore, one just over the Bay Bridge in Queen Anne's County. Call first. Not every dealer takes shipped transfers, and fees differ.

1. Pick your dealer
An FFL in Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Pasadena, Crofton or across the bridge on Kent Island. Call to confirm they take shipped transfers.
2. Order here
Give the dealer name and town at checkout. We confirm their license before shipping.
3. At the counter
ATF Form 4473 and a federal background check. A rifle or shotgun needs no HQL.
4. Collect it
No state waiting period for an ordinary long gun. Case it, unloaded, for the drive home.

What to bring

  • Government photo ID with your current address. Military buyers stationed here should ask the dealer which documents they need to show Maryland residence, such as orders.
  • The transfer fee, which the dealer sets and collects.
  • Your order number.

The Maryland rules that apply

An ordinary rifle or shotgun is not a regulated firearm under Public Safety Article § 5-101, so the Handgun Qualification License, the State Police purchase application and the seven-day wait do not apply to it. You need to be 18, show ID and pass the federal check. Private sales of long guns have had to go through a dealer since 2021 (§ 5-204.1).

The restrictions are on what can be sold. Maryland bans listed assault long guns and copycat weapons (Criminal Law Article §§ 4-301 to 4-303) and the sale or transfer of detachable magazines over 10 rounds (§ 4-305). We filter the catalog for those rules, and we list no handguns or frames at all. A plain semi-automatic field shotgun with a fixed tube magazine is an ordinary shotgun and is listed. A semi-automatic shotgun with a folding stock is not.

General information, not legal advice. Statutes and sources are on our Maryland gun law page. For advice on your own circumstances, ask a Maryland attorney.

A capital city with a lot of no-gun ground

Annapolis packs the State House complex, county and city offices, St. John's College and the Naval Academy into a few square miles. Government buildings and college campuses are among the places where Criminal Law Article § 4-111 prohibits firearms, and the Academy is federal property. None of that affects buying a shotgun and driving it home in its case, but it is a reason not to run errands downtown with a gun in the car. Natural Resources Article § 10-410 requires firearms in a vehicle to be unloaded.

Hunting from an Annapolis address

Anne Arundel County has more than 500 miles of tidal shoreline, and the Severn, South, Magothy and West rivers all hold ducks. The open Bay off Thomas Point and Hackett Point is diver and sea duck water: buffleheads, scaup, long-tailed ducks and scoters. It is cold, wet, salty hunting that is hard on guns, which is why synthetic stocks and coated or camo finishes outsell walnut here. Rinse and oil the gun the same night.

Maryland has its own rules on where you may set up. Offshore blind sites and shoreline are licensed through a riparian landowner system, and boat hunters must keep set distances from shore and from licensed blinds. The Department of Natural Resources explains the system in the migratory game bird section of its annual guide. Read it before your first hunt, because it is not like other states.

Forty minutes east, Kent Island and the fields of Queen Anne's, Kent and Talbot counties are the heart of Maryland goose hunting. Migratory Canada goose limits have been tight in recent seasons, so check the current bag limit. Deer hunters in Anne Arundel should look up the county in the DNR guide before choosing between a slug gun, a straight-walled cartridge rifle and a bottleneck cartridge, because the legal devices for deer differ from county to county. Our waterfowl and deer gun guide covers both.

What people here buy

Waterfowl shotguns3" and 3.5" 12 gaugeSteel & bismuth shotnon-toxic loadsOver/undersclays & dovesBolt-action riflesdeer & rangeChoke tubessteel-ratedGun casesfloating & hard

Waterfowl shotguns

Hunting guide →

Over/unders & side-by-sides

Search all →

Bolt-action rifles

All bolt actions →

Common questions

Can I order a shotgun online and pick it up in Annapolis?

Yes. Order here, name a licensed dealer in Annapolis or anywhere in Anne Arundel County, and we ship it to them. You fill out ATF Form 4473 and pass the background check at their counter, then take the shotgun home.

Do I need any Maryland license to buy a rifle or shotgun?

No. The Handgun Qualification License in Public Safety Article § 5-117.1 covers handguns only. An ordinary rifle or shotgun is not a regulated firearm under § 5-101, so you need valid ID, to be 18 or older, and a clean background check.

How long does the transfer take?

Usually one visit. There is no state waiting period for an ordinary long gun, and most federal checks come back in minutes. If a check is delayed, the dealer keeps the gun until it clears.

Does Anne Arundel County have its own gun rules?

State law sets the rules for sales. Criminal Law Article § 4-209 leaves counties limited room, and Anne Arundel County uses some of it. For example, a county ordinance requires gun dealers to hand out suicide-prevention and conflict-resolution literature with a sale, so expect a pamphlet with your receipt. Check the county code for anything that affects where you shoot or carry.

Can I bring a firearm onto the Naval Academy or into state buildings?

No. The Naval Academy is federal property with its own prohibitions, and state law bars firearms from government buildings, among other places listed in Criminal Law Article § 4-111. Annapolis has a lot of both. Go straight home from the dealer with the gun cased and unloaded.

What shotgun do I need for ducks on the Bay?

A 12-gauge with a 3-inch chamber covers nearly all of it, and a synthetic or camo finish survives salt water better than blued steel and walnut. Federal rules require non-toxic shot and a magazine plugged to hold no more than three shells in total for migratory birds. See our waterfowl and deer gun guide.

Why are there no handguns or AR-15s on this site?

Maryland handgun sales need an HQL, a roster-listed model and a Maryland regulated-firearms dealer, which we cannot verify from a listing. AR and AK pattern rifles fall under the assault weapons ban in Criminal Law Article §§ 4-301 to 4-303. We list only what can lawfully be sold here.

Do you ship ammunition to Annapolis?

Yes, by ground to your home address. Maryland requires no license to receive ammunition. Federal age limits apply: 18 for rifle and shotgun ammunition, 21 for handgun ammunition.

More Maryland guides