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HB0875 • 2026

Public Safety - Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition

Public Safety - Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition

Firearms
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Delegates Simmons , Fair , and Lehman
Last action
2026-03-20
Official status
In the Senate - Hearing 3/25 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Public Safety - Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition

Requiring the Maryland Department of Health to prepare certain literature relating to firearms and ammunition and to distribute the literature to all county health departments in the State; requiring each county health department to distribute certain literature to all establishments that sell firearms or ammunition within the county; requiring establishments that sell firearms or ammunition in the State to make certain literature visible and available and to distribute the literature to purchasers of firearms and ammunition; etc.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring the Maryland Department of Health to prepare certain literature relating to firearms and ammunition and to distribute the literature to all county health departments in the State; requiring each county health department to distribute certain literature to all establishments that sell firearms or ammunition within the county; requiring establishments that sell firearms or ammunition in the State to make certain literature visible and available and to distribute the literature to purchasers of firearms and ammunition; etc.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-20 Senate

    Hearing 3/25 at 1:00 p.m.

  2. 2026-03-09 House

    Favorable Report by Judiciary

  3. 2026-02-27 House

    Third Reading Passed (97-37)

  4. 2026-02-27 Senate

    Referred Judicial Proceedings

  5. 2026-02-26 House

    Favorable Adopted

  6. 2026-02-26 House

    Second Reading Passed

  7. 2026-02-05 House

    Hearing 2/25 at 1:00 p.m.

  8. 2026-02-04 House

    First Reading Judiciary

  9. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Public Safety - Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition

  10. Maryland General Assembly

    Vote - House - Committee - Judiciary

  11. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Third - Public Safety - Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition

  12. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - Racial Equity Impact Note

Official Summary Text

Requiring the Maryland Department of Health to prepare certain literature relating to firearms and ammunition and to distribute the literature to all county health departments in the State; requiring each county health department to distribute certain literature to all establishments that sell firearms or ammunition within the county; requiring establishments that sell firearms or ammunition in the State to make certain literature visible and available and to distribute the literature to purchasers of firearms and ammunition; etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0875*

HOUSE BILL 875
E4 6lr2963
HB 713/25 – JUD
By: Delegates Simmons, Fair, and Lehman
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Judiciary
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 26, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Safety – Distribution of Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and 2
Ammunition 3

FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Department of Health to prepare certain 4
literature relating to firearms and ammunition and to distribute the literature to all 5
county health departments in the State; requiring each county health department to 6
distribute certain literature to all establishments that sell firearms or ammunition 7
within the county; requiring establishments that sell firearms or ammunition in the 8
State to make certain literature visible and available and to distribute the literature 9
to purchasers of firearms or ammunit ion; requiring a county health department to 10
authorize a certain representative who may issue citations to owners of 11
establishments who violate this Act; and generally relating to the distribution of 12
literature to purchasers of firearms and ammunition. 13

BY adding to 14
Article – Public Safety 15
Section 5–901 and 5 –902 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 9. Distribution of 16
Literature to Purchasers of Firearms and Ammunition” 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21

Article – Public Safety 22
2 HOUSE BILL 875

SUBTITLE 9. DISTRIBUTION OF LITERATURE TO PURCHASERS OF FIREARMS AND 1
AMMUNITION. 2

5–901. 3

(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 4
INDICATED. 5

(B) “AMMUNITION” HAS THE MEANING STATED IN § 5–133.1 OF THIS TITLE. 6

(C) “FIREARM” HAS THE MEANING STATED IN § 5–101 OF THIS TITLE. 7

5–902. 8

(A) (1) THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SHALL: 9

(I) PREPARE LITERATURE R ELATING TO FIREARMS AND 10
AMMUNITION THAT INCLUDES INFORMATION REGARDING: 11

1. FIREARM SAFETY; 12

2. FIREARM TRAINING; 13

3. SUICIDE PREVENTION; 14

4. MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS; AND 15

5. CONFLICT RESOLUTION; AND 16

(II) DISTRIBUTE THE LITER ATURE TO ALL COUNTY HEALTH 17
DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE. 18

(2) EACH COUNTY HEALTH DE PARTMENT SHALL DISTR IBUTE THE 19
LITERATURE RECEIVED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION T O ALL 20
ESTABLISHMENTS THAT SELL FIREARMS OR AMMUNITION WITHIN THE COUNTY. 21

(B) AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT RECEIVES LITERATURE UNDER SUBSECTION 22
(A)(2) OF THIS SECTION SHALL: 23

(1) MAKE THE LITERATURE VISIBLE AND AVAILABL E AT THE POINT 24
OF SALE FOR ANY FIREARM OR AMMUNITION PURCHASE; AND 25

(2) DISTRIBUTE THE LITERATURE TO EACH PERSON WHO PURCHASES 26
HOUSE BILL 875 3

A FIREARM OR AMMUNITION. 1

(C) (1) EACH COUNTY HEALTH DE PARTMENT SHALL AUTHO RIZE A 2
REPRESENTATIVE OF TH E COUNTY ’S HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHO MAY ISSUE A 3
CITATION TO AN OWNER OF AN ESTABLISHMENT WITHIN THE COUNTY ’S 4
JURISDICTION THAT VIOLATES THIS SECTION. 5

(2) (I) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS SUBJECT TO: 6

1. FOR A FIRST VIOLATIO N, A CIVIL PENALTY NOT 7
EXCEEDING $500; AND 8

2. FOR A SECOND OR SUBS EQUENT VIOLATION, A CIVIL 9
PENALTY NOT EXCEEDING $1,000. 10

(II) A CIVIL PENALTY IMPOSED UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL 11
BE PAID TO THE COUNT Y THAT ISSUED THE CI TATION UNDER PARAGRA PH (1) OF 12
THIS SUBSECTION. 13

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 14
October 1, 2026. 15

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.