he Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board has found that the Maryland Handgun Roster Board violated the Open Meetings Act by taking too long to prepare meeting minutes. The board, however, found no violations regarding the posting of meeting notices and agendas.
The opinion, issued June 29, 2026, responds to a complaint alleging that the Handgun Roster Board failed to timely post meeting minutes and did not post a meeting notice and agenda far enough in advance of a meeting.
The Handgun Roster Board determines which handguns manufactured after January 1, 1985, may be legally sold in Maryland. The board typically meets quarterly.
Regarding minutes, the Act requires a public body to have minutes of its session prepared “as soon as practicable after a public body meets” and, to the extent practicable, posted online. The Compliance Board has previously advised that for bodies meeting quarterly, three-month delays in approving minutes are generally not acceptable.
The complainant filed the complaint on May 4, 2026, noting that about 60 days had passed since the Board’s March meeting with no minutes posted online. The Board responded that its practice is to ratify minutes at each subsequent meeting and post them online promptly thereafter. The March meeting minutes were posted online as of June 11, 2026.
The Compliance Board found no violation regarding the posting of minutes online but determined that taking three months to approve the minutes violated the Act. The board noted that this appears to be the regular practice for the quarterly-meeting body and advised the Board to find an alternative way of adopting minutes, such as by email, so that people who could not attend do not have to wait three months to learn what happened.
Regarding the June 3, 2026, meeting, the complainant alleged that as of May 4, 2026, no notice or agenda had been posted. The Compliance Board found that the Board’s website provides a standing notice of meetings, listing dates for at least six months at a time. Such standing notices have been found to satisfy the Act in previous opinions.
For the meeting agenda, the Board explained that it could not be finalized until after the deadline for petition submissions. The deadline for the June 3 meeting was May 13, after the complaint was filed. The agenda was posted on May 28, well within the required timeframe. The Compliance Board found no violation regarding the agenda.
The opinion is subject to the acknowledgement and announcement requirements of the Open Meetings Act.
The Maryland Handgun Roster Board is represented by the Office of the Attorney General. The Compliance Board is an independent state agency.
This opinion provides guidance to public bodies on timely preparation and posting of meeting minutes, particularly for those meeting less frequently than monthly.
For Southern Maryland residents interested in handgun regulations and public meetings, the opinion underscores the importance of timely access to meeting records. The Handgun Roster Board’s decisions affect what firearms can be sold in the state, making transparency in its processes important to the public.
The Compliance Board’s finding encourages the Handgun Roster Board to improve its practices for approving minutes to ensure greater transparency and compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
