Gun Safety Courses in Maryland

In 2002, Maryland passed The Responsible Gun Safety Act, which requires Maryland residents to take a firearms training class as part of a condition of owning a firearm. Gun safety courses are available in several different formats, ranging from an online firearms safety course offered by the Maryland Police Training Commission to hunter education courses and private training from NRA certified instructors.

The Maryland Police Training Commission offers a free online course, which satisfies The Responsible Gun Safety Act requirement. The course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, and covers such topics as types of firearms, rules of firearm safety, cleaning and maintenance of handguns, and safely transporting weapons. When convenient, the Maryland Police Training Commission recommends supplementing the course with live firearms training prior to purchasing a firearm.

Maryland Police Training Commission Firearms Training Center 6852 4th Street Sykesville, MD 21784 410-552-6300 mdgunsafety.com

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources provides the Maryland Hunter Education Course, which consists of several sessions and requires a minimum of 10 hours of education, with most classes running between 12 to 14 hours. Attendance at all classes is required in order to pass and receive your certification, as well as taking a multiple choice test with at least 80 percent passing grade. Finally, the course instructor must recommend students for certification at the end of the class. The courses cover such topics as firearm handling, marksmanship, shooting fundamentals, wildlife management and hunter responsibility. This particular course requires a live fire portion, where students practice firing exercises at a range.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources also offers an in-home independent study course, taken online, which satisfies the in-class time for Hunter Safety certification. Upon completion of the online course, students complete a one-day Hunter Education Field Day Workshop, which includes demonstrations, a live fire portion, and the final exam.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources 580 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, MD 21401 1-877-620-8367 dnr.state.md.us/nrp

Centers like the Maryland Gun Training Center use individual instructors to teach students about firearms safety, rules and requirements. The Home Firearm Safety Course from the Maryland Gun Training Center teaches basic firearms knowledge, elements of gun safety, identifying and unloading types of firearms, cleaning and caring for firearms, among other topics. The course is four hours in length and is a non-shooting course, certified by the NRA. Upon completion, students receive the NRA Home Fire Safety handbook and the NRA Gun Safety Rules booklet, the Basic Firearm Training Program brochure, and a certificate declaring your successful completion of the course.

Maryland Gun Training Center, LLC P. O. Box 1395 Owings Mills, MD 21117 410-499-3266 mdguntraining.com