The Dreaded 7-day Waiting Period
The 7-day waiting period for handguns in Maryland can be confusing with a lot of variables in play. Hopefully this article will explain how the waiting period works. The waiting period came about back in the day when state paperwork was done on actual paper. The Post Office could not deliver a denial to the dealer on a Sunday or a holiday. Keep reading to see how this comes into play.
When you buy or transfer a handgun in Maryland, you are required to complete the state form 77R. You will complete your portion of the 77R and submit it to the application pool, then your dealer adds the gun information to the 77R and pays the $10 fee. This does NOT automatically start your 7-day waiting period. The waiting period doesn’t start until Maryland State Police (MSP) "accepts" your application as being complete. That means all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed. This could occur on Day 1, 2, 3 or even Day 7 after submission by your dealer. If accepted by MSP, the 7-day waiting period started when the application was originally submitted.
We have seen many applications sent back to us on Day 5 or 6 with incorrect place of birth or social security number. In these cases, the waiting period didn't start yet since the application wasn't accepted as being complete. Once corrections are made and the application re-submitted, the process starts all over again. The waiting period doesn't start again since it hadn't started in the first place due to the errors.
Now, let’s say your application is submitted on a Monday. You should be able to pick it up the following Monday, right? Not so fast, Mario. When the 7th day falls on a Sunday or a Holiday, that day doesn’t count as your 7th day. Monday would become your 7th day and Tuesday is now your 8th day. What happens if that Monday is a holiday? Tuesday becomes the 7th day and Wednesday becomes the 8th day. This also goes for state holidays that fall on other days of the week, such as the day after Thanksgiving. Again, it only applies when the 7th day is a Sunday or a Holiday.
For argument's sake, let's say that MSP accepted your application that was submitted on a Tuesday. You should receive an email the next Tuesday stating your application has been "Not Disapproved" (see article about that terminology). If not, something went wrong. Don't call your dealer because they probably don't know anything. Contact MSP to find out what's going on.
This article is copyright © 2023 Tyler Firearms, LLC. All rights reserved.
When you buy or transfer a handgun in Maryland, you are required to complete the state form 77R. You will complete your portion of the 77R and submit it to the application pool, then your dealer adds the gun information to the 77R and pays the $10 fee. This does NOT automatically start your 7-day waiting period. The waiting period doesn’t start until Maryland State Police (MSP) "accepts" your application as being complete. That means all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed. This could occur on Day 1, 2, 3 or even Day 7 after submission by your dealer. If accepted by MSP, the 7-day waiting period started when the application was originally submitted.
We have seen many applications sent back to us on Day 5 or 6 with incorrect place of birth or social security number. In these cases, the waiting period didn't start yet since the application wasn't accepted as being complete. Once corrections are made and the application re-submitted, the process starts all over again. The waiting period doesn't start again since it hadn't started in the first place due to the errors.
Now, let’s say your application is submitted on a Monday. You should be able to pick it up the following Monday, right? Not so fast, Mario. When the 7th day falls on a Sunday or a Holiday, that day doesn’t count as your 7th day. Monday would become your 7th day and Tuesday is now your 8th day. What happens if that Monday is a holiday? Tuesday becomes the 7th day and Wednesday becomes the 8th day. This also goes for state holidays that fall on other days of the week, such as the day after Thanksgiving. Again, it only applies when the 7th day is a Sunday or a Holiday.
For argument's sake, let's say that MSP accepted your application that was submitted on a Tuesday. You should receive an email the next Tuesday stating your application has been "Not Disapproved" (see article about that terminology). If not, something went wrong. Don't call your dealer because they probably don't know anything. Contact MSP to find out what's going on.
This article is copyright © 2023 Tyler Firearms, LLC. All rights reserved.