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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Senate Bill 20 requires domestic violence respondents to surrender firearms and carry permits within 24 hours
Last action · January 14, 2026: First Reading Judicial ProceedingsSponsor: Shelly Hettleman
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What This Bill Would Do
Maryland Senate Bill 20 requires individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders to surrender all firearms, s, and carry permits to local law enforcement within 24 hours of being served. The measure also mandates that law enforcement verify compliance within three business days, notify the State's Attorney's Office of any non-compliance, and actively investigate or seek search warrants to remove un-surrendered weapons.
The bill shifts firearm surrender enforcement from a passive process to an active police verification mandate, establishing strict 24-hour weapon surrender timelines and mandatory search warrant procedures for non-compliant respondents.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Domestic violence respondents
Respondents are required to surrender all firearms, handgun qualification licenses, and carry permits within 24 hours and submit affidavits or transfer paperwork within 2 business days.
Local law enforcement authorities
Law enforcement agencies must verify compliance within 3 business days, notify prosecutors of non-compliance, issue written proof of surrender, and execute search warrants to recover un-surrendered firearms.
Petitioners seeking protective orders
Petitioners must provide detailed information regarding the respondent's firearm possession and handgun permits when filing for a protective order.
State's Attorney's Offices
Prosecutors must receive notifications from local law enforcement regarding any respondent who fails to comply with firearm surrender requirements.
Key Facts
- Respondents ordered to surrender firearms, handgun qualification licenses, or carry permits must hand them over to a local law enforcement authority within 24 hours of service.
- Respondents who do not possess a firearm must submit an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury to the court and relevant law enforcement within 2 business days after service.
- Respondents who lawfully sold or transferred a firearm within the prior 30 days must submit transfer paperwork to the court and relevant law enforcement within 2 business days after service.
- Local law enforcement authorities must determine whether the respondent has complied with surrender requirements within 3 business days after service of the order.
Show all 10 facts
- If a respondent fails to comply, law enforcement must notify the State's Attorney's Office and take steps to remove firearms, including obtaining a search warrant.
- Temporary and final protective orders must explicitly order the respondent to surrender any handgun qualification license or permit to wear, carry, or transport a handgun.
- Petitioners seeking a protective order must disclose whether the respondent possesses a valid handgun qualification license, carry permit, or any firearms, along with specific details about the weapons.
- Commissioners issuing interim protective orders must provide the petitioner with safety planning resources and contact information for the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence.
- Law enforcement officers receiving surrendered firearms must issue written proof of surrender containing the person's name, surrender date, and the firearm's serial number, make, and model.
- This Act takes effect on October 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a respondent do if they do not own any firearms?
How long does a respondent have to surrender their firearms after being served?
What happens if a respondent fails to surrender their firearms?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Judicial Proceedings
- Jan 13, 2026SenateHearing 1/20 at 1:00 p.m.
- Oct 28, 2025SenateIntroducedPre-filed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift to Active Verification and Enforcement
The legislation moves away from passive firearm surrender rules by imposing strict deadlines and requiring law enforcement to actively investigate and seek search warrants for non-compliant respondents.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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