Md. Code, Public Safety § 5-402
This is the official text of Md. Code, Public Safety § 5-402, part of Maryland’s Code, Public Safety — governs police, fire, and emergency services.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§5–402.
Official statutory text
(a) This subtitle does not affect a person’s right to:
(1) manufacture, sell, or offer to sell a rifle or other weapon that is not defined as a handgun in § 4-201 of the Criminal Law Article;
(2) manufacture a prototype handgun model required for design, development, testing, and approval by the Board; and
(3) manufacture in this State a handgun that is not on the handgun roster by a federally licensed gun manufacturer who is also licensed as a regulated firearms dealer in this State for direct sale to a unit of:
(i) the federal government;
(ii) a state other than this State;
(iii) a local government in a state other than this State; or
(iv) a law enforcement agency in a state other than this State.
(b) (1) A person is not strictly liable for damages for injuries to another that result from the criminal use of a firearm by a third person.
(2) Paragraph (1) of this subsection does not apply if the person conspired with the third person to commit the criminal act in which the firearm was used or willfully aided, abetted, or caused the commission of the criminal act in which the firearm was used.
(3) This subtitle does not otherwise negate, limit, or modify the doctrine of negligence or strict liability that relates to abnormally dangerous products or activities and defective products.
(1) manufacture, sell, or offer to sell a rifle or other weapon that is not defined as a handgun in § 4-201 of the Criminal Law Article;
(2) manufacture a prototype handgun model required for design, development, testing, and approval by the Board; and
(3) manufacture in this State a handgun that is not on the handgun roster by a federally licensed gun manufacturer who is also licensed as a regulated firearms dealer in this State for direct sale to a unit of:
(i) the federal government;
(ii) a state other than this State;
(iii) a local government in a state other than this State; or
(iv) a law enforcement agency in a state other than this State.
(b) (1) A person is not strictly liable for damages for injuries to another that result from the criminal use of a firearm by a third person.
(2) Paragraph (1) of this subsection does not apply if the person conspired with the third person to commit the criminal act in which the firearm was used or willfully aided, abetted, or caused the commission of the criminal act in which the firearm was used.
(3) This subtitle does not otherwise negate, limit, or modify the doctrine of negligence or strict liability that relates to abnormally dangerous products or activities and defective products.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.