The Maryland State Police saw a spike in interest for concealed carry permits after Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the agency to drop the restriction that applicants show a “good and substantial reason” to carry a pistol.
MSP spokesperson Elena Russo said Wednesday that “there’s been an increase in phone calls and applications” for concealed carry permits since the U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down “good cause” type provisions in eight “may issue” states, such as Maryland.
“The Maryland State Police Licensing Division reminds citizens a wear and carry permit is still required before you can legally carry a regulated firearm on your person,” Ms. Russo said in a press statement. “The suspension of the ‘Good and Substantial Reason requirement does not change any other aspect in the review of applications for the issuance of a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit.”
The Licensing Division is revising the Licensing Portal to reflect the changes and applicants submitting a Wear and Carry Permit application. These applicants are directed to select “Personal Protection / Category Not Listed Above” as their Handgun Permit Category.
Applicants no longer need to attach documents to the “PERSONAL PROTECTION DOCUMENTATION” section on the “Upload Documents” page of the Wear and Carry Permit application.
However, applicants for the state carry permits still must submit documentation of the required firearms training, which is 16 hours for an original permit application and eight hours for a renewal application. Additionally, they are still required to provide a Livescan fingerprint receipt.
“The Maryland State Police Licensing Division staff will continue to promptly investigate and approve those eligible for a wear and carry permit, while ensuring those prohibited by law are not approved,” Ms. Russo said. A full background check will continue to be conducted for every individual applying for a wear and carry permit.”
MSP notes that additional documentation, such as military service records or other documentation, may still be required to complete an applicant’s background investigation.
The MSP announced Thursday morning that all restrictions currently detailed on the reverse side of all Maryland Wear and Carry Permits issued before July 7, 2022, are lifted effective immediately.
“Current Maryland Wear and Carry Permit holders who have a restriction printed on the reverse side of their permit and would like to receive a permit without a restriction printed on the reverse side must submit a Modification application via the Licensing Portal,” the MSP website said, noting that there is a $10.00 cost to submit a Modification application. Submission of a Modification application is not required, the MSP says, but it is the only way to receive such a carry permit without a restriction printed on the reverse side prior to the renewal of the holder’s permit.
States had required that a permit applicant show a good reason to licensing officials that they qualify to carry a handgun outside their homes.
On the first day following Mr. Hogan’s announcement, when “Wear and Carry” applicants submitted their online forms to the MSP licensing portal, the website experienced “technical issues.”
“The Maryland State Police Licensing Division is experiencing technical service issues related to the sending of automated electronic communication (email notifications) from Licensing Portal to users and applicants,” the message read.
“We are working directly with Google and the Maryland Department of Information Technology to resolve these issues.”
The portal was restored by 3 p.m. Wednesday. The MSP said the technical issues were exclusively related to the third-party e-mail communications, and the MSP servers never crashed, but the agency did not specify if the problem was related to the number of visitors to the site.
Maryland’s wear and carry permit came into the national spotlight after Mr. Hogan released a statement Tuesday referencing a recent pro-gun rights decision by the Supreme Court, saying that state will eliminate the “good and substantial reason” standard the state has been using to review applications for wear-and-carry firearms permits.
“It would be unconstitutional to continue enforcing this provision in state law. There is no impact on other permitting requirements and protocols,” he said.
Mr. Hogan noted that his directive is on par with “actions taken in other states in response to the recent ruling.”
The recent Supreme Court ruling that struck down the “good cause” provisions in eight “may issue” states mandated that an applicant prove a “good cause” to licensing authorities to be eligible to carry a pistol outside their home.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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