Bill/Issue: MD HB 175

Position: Opposed

Author: Delegate Shaneka Henson (D-30A)

Summary: Maryland's HB 175 mandates federal background checks for ammunition purchases and the creation of indefinitely held, detailed transaction records that identify the recipient and what they have purchased.

Under HB 175, ammunition dealers will be required to check ID and run a NICS background check before they can sell or transfer ammunition. Dealers will also be required to submit an electronic record of the transaction that includes the following information:

• Date of sale or transfer
• Purchaser or transferee’s driver’s license or other state issued identification
• Brand, type, and amount of ammunition sold or transferred
• Purchaser or transferee’s: 
  • Name and signature
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • Telephone number
• Name of seller

This bill also grants the Secretary of the Maryland State Police the discretion to determine how long these electronic records will be kept on file, and whether or not to require additional information. If enacted, violation of the new law would result in a minimum $1,000 fine, scaled upward depending on the “seriousness” and “willfulness” of the violation, the probability that the individual will violate the law again, and whether the individual has previously violated the law. 

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