[GnL]

His “registered” handgun? Is there a registration process in MD that I’m not aware of?

[jboot]

There is no "registration" or "FOID" sort of nonsense in MD. There is a "Saturday Night Special" ban and a training requirement to own a handgun (you fill out a web form and take a no-brainer quiz) but nothing more.

In the rare event that the media must discuss handgun use by civilians, they invariably refer to the handguns as "registered" or "licensed" even in states without any such schemes. I believe that this is calculated, to get people used to the notion of licensing and registration.