Are Tasers Legal in Maryland? Ownership, Carry, and Penalties

Yes, Tasers are legal in Maryland. Any adult 18 or older who has no disqualifying criminal conviction can buy, own, and carry an electronic control device, including both probe-firing Tasers and contact stun guns, without a permit or license.¹ That puts these devices in a different category from handguns, which do require a permit in the state. The rules that do apply cover who is barred from owning one, how sellers have to handle the sale, where you can’t bring the device, and what counts as a lawful use.

Who Is Barred From Owning One

Two groups cannot legally possess an electronic control device in Maryland: anyone convicted of a “crime of violence” as the state defines it, and anyone convicted of certain serious drug offenses.¹

The crimes-of-violence category under Section 14-101 is broad. It covers murder, most manslaughter, rape, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, first-degree arson, first-degree child abuse, home invasion, and first-degree assault, along with assault offenses tied to intent to murder, rape, or rob. Attempts to commit any of these count too.

The disqualifying drug convictions are the trafficking-side offenses: manufacturing, distributing, possession with intent to distribute, and related importation offenses under Sections 5-602 through 5-606, 5-613, and 5-614. A simple possession conviction by itself doesn’t disqualify you under this statute.

What Has to Happen at the Sale

Before selling you a device, the manufacturer or seller has to run a state and federal criminal history records check to confirm you’re not prohibited. The seller must also provide an instructional manual or audio/video instructions, and the manufacturer must keep a record of every original purchaser and give law enforcement prompt access to those records.¹

Practically, this means buying from a reputable dealer matters. A private sale that skips the background check puts both parties on the wrong side of the statute.

Where You Cannot Carry It

Maryland prohibits carrying a “firearm, knife, or deadly weapon of any kind” on public school property, with narrow exceptions for law enforcement, school security, and people invited by a principal for an educational demonstration. The statute doesn’t name electronic control devices, but the “deadly weapon of any kind” language is broad enough to sweep them in. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to three years in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.²

Federal buildings and courthouses are off-limits under a separate federal statute. Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, bringing a “dangerous weapon” into a federal facility can bring up to a year in prison, and up to two years for a federal court facility. The definition of “dangerous weapon” is broad enough to cover stun guns and Tasers.³

One detail worth checking before you carry: Maryland law explicitly allows local governments to adopt tighter restrictions than the state statute.¹ The state rules aren’t necessarily the only ones that apply where you live. Look up your local ordinance.

Using a Taser in Self-Defense

Maryland uses a reasonable-force standard. You can lawfully use a Taser or stun gun only if you genuinely believe you’re facing an immediate threat of bodily harm, and the force has to be proportional to that threat. Deploying one over a verbal argument or a minor shove would likely be considered excessive and can result in assault charges.

Maryland also imposes a duty to retreat outside the home. If you can safely back away from a dangerous situation before using force, you’re expected to do it. The exception is the castle doctrine: inside your own home, you have no obligation to retreat. In public, a court will look at whether you had a realistic chance to leave before deciding whether your response was justified.

A justified use of force still leaves you exposed to a civil suit. The person you stunned can sue for battery, and a civil plaintiff only has to show it’s more likely than not that your force was unjustified, a much lower bar than the criminal “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard. Winning the criminal case does not automatically win the civil one.

Penalties

What you were doing at the time drives how harshly a violation gets charged.

Possessing or using an electronic control device when you’re underage or have a disqualifying conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by up to two months in jail, a fine up to $500, or both.¹
Violating the possession rules while committing a separate crime of violence is a felony carrying up to three years in prison, a fine up to $5,000, or both.¹
Carrying a deadly weapon on public school grounds is a separate misdemeanor with up to three years in jail and a fine up to $1,000.²

Using a stun gun aggressively without a self-defense justification can also bring separate assault or battery charges on top of anything under the ECD statute.

Traveling With One

You cannot bring a Taser or stun gun in a carry-on bag. The TSA allows them in checked luggage, but the device has to be packed so it cannot accidentally discharge, and many models use lithium batteries that fall under separate FAA battery rules. The TSA officer at the checkpoint has final say, so give yourself extra time if you’re checking one.⁴

Driving out of state is the bigger trap. Electronic control device laws vary widely: some states ban civilian possession outright, some require a permit or registration, and some don’t regulate them at all. A device that’s perfectly legal in Maryland can produce criminal charges the moment you cross a state line, so check the destination’s rules before you travel.

1
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Law Code Section 4-109 – Electronic Control Device
2
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Law Code Section 4-102 – Deadly Weapons on School Property
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
4
Transportation Security Administration. Stun Guns/Shocking Devices