HomeCategorySt Mary's County Archives - The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer

The Lautenberg Amendment, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), prohibits any person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing a firearm or ammunition for life. A Maryland second degree assault conviction involving an alleged victim within the federal relationship definition can trigger the prohibition automatically, and even a Probation Before Judgment disposition may qualify. This guide walks through the statutory trigger, the PBJ question, who is most affected in St. Mary's County, and the defense strategies that address both the criminal exposure and the federal firearm consequence.

Maryland's use of firearm in crime of violence statute, Criminal Law § 4-204, imposes a separate consecutive mandatory minimum sentence on top of the underlying conviction. The five year minimum cannot be suspended, and the sentence stacks rather than running concurrently. This guide walks through the qualifying underlying offenses, the use element that the State must prove, and the defense strategies that focus on attacking the use question or negotiating the enhancement out of the disposition entirely.

A handgun discovered during a Route 235 traffic stop in St. Mary's County turns a routine ticket into a Maryland weapons prosecution under Criminal Law § 4-203, with mandatory minimum incarceration on the table. This guide walks through the lawfulness of the stop, the bases for vehicle searches, what to say when the firearm is discovered, the transport exceptions that can defeat the charge, and the suppression motion that often ends the case before trial.

Hunting culture in rural St. Mary's County moves firearms across the county roads thousands of times each season. The legal framework that governs that movement is detailed and unforgiving. The transport exceptions in Criminal Law § 4-203 require unloaded firearms, separate ammunition storage, direct routes, and minimal deviation. This guide walks through the lawful transport rules for handguns and long guns, the routine stop pattern that produces most cases, the documentation that supports the defense, and the separate category of cases involving possession by a prohibited hunter.