Maryland Wear & Carry, Part 1 – Links & Information

        1. The Maryland State Police Licensing Portal is where you will submit your application. You can begin to fill out your application before you are ready to submit it.   Create an account if you do not already have one.
        2. Handgunlaw.us – A fairly complete rundown of handgun laws around the US. Start with reading the Maryland-specific article.  https://handgunlaw.us/states/maryland.pdfSpend some time looking at the other states for where you may travel by clicking on the states’ names on the home page.  For example, I often travel to New Jersey we have family.  Hollow points are illegal for concealed carry in the state of New Jersey, but not for use in your home or on your land.  This is a point that is rumored about and blown out of proportion when discussed in the firearms community, but is spelled out in the New Jersey-specific article on Handgunlaw.us.
        3. What is reciprocity? Reciprocity in the context of concealed carry means you’re your concealed carry permit or license could be valid in other states. When traveling to those states, you must follow their respective gun laws, including how your permit is applied, and the laws concerning when you can use your firearm for self-defense.  Consult Handgunlaw.us before you travel for specific states’ information.
          • In 2021, U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), along with several of their Senate GOP colleagues, introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act in 2021.   This legislation would have allowed individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to exercise those rights in any other state with concealed carry laws, while still abiding by that state’s laws.
          • When you receive a spam email offering to certify you for $100 for a “national concealed carry permit,” that permit is actually worthless.
        4. What to do if you get pulled over while carrying – In Maryland, you do not have a legal requirement to inform the police that you are carrying your firearm, but if you are pulled over, you will want to present your Wear & Carry Permit with your driver’s license and inform the officer that you are carrying your lawfully owned firearm and how you are carrying (inside your waistband, etc).  This will help the officer decide how to proceed.  Typically, they will tell you to “sit tight.” They often already know that you have a Wear & Carry Permit, but this also tells the officer that you are cooperative and honest. For more detail on this topic, view this video by Massad Ayoob, a well known instructor and lecturer.
        5. Why Carry?  At Master Arms & Tactical, we advise to always carry concealed because carrying a firearm is your private business.  You may know someone who has a Wear & Carry Permit who doesn’t carry very often, or not at all.  So why carry?  Our reasons are all different.  Aargo Jay is a filmmaker and Civil Rights Activist (and gun guy) who carries.  This video discusses why, and he also talks about why others carry.
        6. The Truth About Carrying A Gun – Colion Noir an attorney and gun rights advocate and is one of the fresh voices in the gun conversation.  Check out this video where he talks about the feelings he had about going out the first time after receiving his concealed carry permit.
        7. Concealed Carry Grip – The fundamental of shooting that is most quickly forgotten when on the range is grip.  In these two videos, Smith & Wesson Team Captain Julie Golob demonstrates proper grip for accuracy and for concealed carry.
        8. Practicing Concealed Carry – In this video, Julie shows us some drills for practicing at the range (distance) and at home (cover).  Watch the video and practice the techniques Julie demonstrates.  Don’t worry if it seems embarassing.  You’re training to save your life or your family’s lives.
        9. Smooth Like Peanut Butter – One more Julie video about trigger control.
        10. Dry Fire Practice – Dry fire practice is the use of dummy rounds or “snap caps” to run through shooting fundamentals at home without the expense, noise, inconvenience, or danger of using live rounds. Dummy rounds are available in all commonly used calibers from Amazon.com and other retailers.  The idea is to focus on the fundamentals of shooting.  If you’re not sure what these mean, come back and sit in a Basic Pistol & Maryland HQL class for review.
          1. Stance
          2. Grip
          3. Sight Alignment
          4. Sight Picture
          5. Breath Control
          6. Trigger Control
          7. Follow Through
        11. Focus On Pulling The Trigger Without Moving The Gun – We save this point for last because in this video, gun world know-it-all Rob Leatham says to forget fundamentals and focus on not moving the gun while pulling the trigger.  This is really an advanced concept once you have learned fundamentals of safety and shooting that are required by Maryland state law.  Rob tries really hard not to curse in this video, so it’s kind of entertaining.
        12. If you need a holster, check out Bmore Tactical. They have a great selection of holsters, magazine carriers, gun belts, and more.
        13. Situational Awareness Fundamentals – In this video, Tim Kennedy discusses a few elements of situational awareness.
        14. 10 Ways to Improve Your Situational Awareness – Former Navy SEAL Chris Sajnog discusses ways to improve your situational awareness.
        15. More tactics for situational awareness and personal protection from Tactical Rifleman
        16. Really great podcast exerpt from Jocko Willink about dealing with people who may be threatening in public situations.
        17. If you got this far, log your time in your training log.
        18. Send us a text at 410-980-1045 that says “I did my homework!”
        19. See you in CC2!