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SB0899 • 2026

Firearms Dealers - Firearm Hold Agreements

Firearms Dealers - Firearm Hold Agreements

Firearms
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Senator Ready
Last action
2026-02-12
Official status
In the Senate - Hearing 2/24 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.

Firearms Dealers - Firearm Hold Agreements

Providing that a certain federally licensed firearms dealer may not be held civilly liable for personal injury to or death of any person after the return of a certain firearm to a certain firearm owner at the termination of a certain agreement, with a certain exception.

What This Bill Does

  • Providing that a certain federally licensed firearms dealer may not be held civilly liable for personal injury to or death of any person after the return of a certain firearm to a certain firearm owner at the termination of a certain agreement, with a certain exception.

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. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Hearing 2/24 at 1:00 p.m.

  2. 2026-02-06 Senate

    First Reading Judicial Proceedings

  3. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Firearms Dealers - Firearm Hold Agreements

Official Summary Text

Providing that a certain federally licensed firearms dealer may not be held civilly liable for personal injury to or death of any person after the return of a certain firearm to a certain firearm owner at the termination of a certain agreement, with a certain exception.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0899*

SENATE BILL 899
E4 6lr3140

By: Senator Ready
Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2026
Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Firearms Dealers – Firearm Hold Agreements 2

FOR the purpose of providing that a certain federally licensed firearms dealer may not be 3
held civilly liable for personal injury to or death of any person after the return of a 4
certain firearm to a certain firearm owner at the termination of a certain agreement, 5
with a certain exception; and generally relating to firearms dealers. 6

BY adding to 7
Article – Public Safety 8
Section 5–149 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13

Article – Public Safety 14

5–149. 15

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 16
INDICATED. 17

(2) “FEDERALLY LICENSED FI REARMS DEALER” HAS THE MEANING 18
STATED IN § 5–701 OF THIS TITLE. 19

(3) “FIREARM HOLD AGREEMEN T” MEANS A PRIVATE AGREEMENT 20
BETWEEN A FEDERALLY LICENSED FIREARMS DEALER AND A PERSON WHO OWNS A 21
FIREARM IN WHICH THE FEDERALLY LICENSED FIREARMS DEALER: 22

2 SENATE BILL 899

(I) TAKES PHYSICAL POSSESSION OF THE FI REARM OWNER ’S 1
LAWFULLY POSSESSED F IREARM OR FIREARMS A T THE FIREARM OWNER ’S 2
REQUEST; 3

(II) HOLDS THE FIREARM OR FIREARMS FOR AN AGREED 4
PERIOD OF TIME; AND 5

(III) RETURNS THE FIREARM OR FIREARMS TO THE FIREARM 6
OWNER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT. 7

(B) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO FIREARM TRA NSFERS IN 8
ACCORDANCE WITH § 6–234 OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE ARTICLE. 9

(C) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION, A 10
FEDERALLY LICENSED FIREARMS DEALER MAY NOT BE HELD CIVILLY LIABLE FOR 11
PERSONAL INJURY TO OR DEATH OF ANY PERSON AFTER THE RETURN OF A FIREARM 12
TO A FIREARM OWNER BY THE FEDERALLY LICENS ED FIREARMS DEALER A T THE 13
TERMINATION OF A FIREARM HOLD AGREEMENT. 14

(2) THE IMMUNITY FROM LIA BILITY PROVIDED UNDE R PARAGRAPH 15
(1) OF THIS SUBSECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH CAUSED 16
BY UNLAWFUL CONDUCT ON THE PART OF THE FEDERALLY LICENSED F IREARMS 17
DEALER. 18

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 19
October 1, 2026. 20