“Armor-piercing ammunition” means “a projectile or projectile core that may be used in a handgun and that is constructed entirely, excluding the presence of traces of other substances, from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, beryllium copper or depleted uranium, including but not limited to ammunition commonly known as KTW ammunition,” but excludes shotgun shot required by federal or state environmental or game laws, rules or regulations for hunting purposes, a frangible projectile designed for target shooting, or any projectile or projectile core that the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury has found to be primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes or industrial purposes; Me. Stat., 17-A § 1056.

“Firearm” for the purposes of this law means any weapon, whether loaded or unloaded, which is designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive, and any weapon which can be made into a firearm by the insertion of a firing pin, or other similar thing, or by repair.

Prohibited persons include those convicted of committing or found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity for: 

• in Maine, a crime punishable by imprisonment of one year or more, or a crime in any other jurisdiction punishable by over a year’s imprisonment (except a misdemeanor punishable by two years or less)
• a crime in which the prosecuting authority was required to establish that the person committed the crime with the use of a firearm against a person or any other dangerous weapon
• specified domestic violence offenses, although the prohibition in some cases automatically expires 5 years from the date the person is finally discharged from the sentence imposed if that person has no subsequent criminal convictions during that 5-year period.

The criminal conviction prohibitions includes persons who, as juveniles, were adjudicated for conduct that, if committed by an adult, would have been a disqualifying conviction as an adult and where bodily injury to another person was threatened or resulted, although the prohibiting effect of some juvenile adjudications is limited to three years following completion of any disposition imposed or until that person reaches 18 years of age, whichever is later.

Otherwise, a person subject to a firearm disability because of a criminal conviction or juvenile adjudication may, five years after the date that the person is finally discharged from the sentences imposed as a result of the conviction or adjudication, apply to the Office of the Governor for a four-year permit to possess a firearm. This is not a permit to carry a concealed handgun and a “firearm” under these permits does not apply to any “firearm defined under 18 United States Code, Section 921(a)(3).” Me. Stat., 15 § 393(2).

Prohibited persons also include those: 

• committed involuntarily to a hospital pursuant to an order of the Maine district court, due to presenting a likelihood of serious harm, or found not competent to stand trial with respect to a criminal charge
• who, as a result of mental illness, have been ordered to participate in a progressive treatment program where the order contains a weapon prohibition for the duration of the treatment
• who are a “restricted person” subject to a red flag order issued in Maine or another jurisdiction, except this prohibition applies to possession and control and not ownership 
• who are a fugitive from justice, or prohibited from possession of a firearm under federal law due to being unlawful users of, or addicted to, any controlled substance (except medical marijuana, as authorized by state law), or an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States, or dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces, or a U.S. citizen who has renounced that citizenship
• subject to specified domestic violence protective orders, except ex parte orders.

Minors. With some exceptions, it is a crime to sell or transfer a handgun to anyone under the age of 18. Exceptions include temporary transfers to a minor in the course of employment, target practice, hunting or instruction in the safe and lawful use of a handgun, where the minor may transport an unloaded handgun in a locked container directly from the place of transfer to a place at which one of these activities occurs and back again. It also does not apply to temporary transfers with the prior written consent of the minor’s parent or guardian, if that parent or guardian is not prohibited by federal, state or local law from possessing a firearm. Other exceptions include a transfer by inheritance of title to, but not possession of, a handgun to a minor; a transfer when the minor takes a handgun in self-defense or in defense of another person against an intruder into the residence of the minor or a residence in which the minor is an invited guest; and transfers where the minor is a member of the United States Armed Forces or the National Guard who possesses or is armed with a handgun in the line of duty. Me. Stat., 17-A § 554-B.

It is also a crime for anyone other than a parent, foster parent or guardian to knowingly transfer a firearm other than a handgun to a minor under 16 years of age, although it is an affirmative defense to prosecution that the person had approval for the transfer from the minor’s parent, foster parent or guardian, or reasonably believed (for reasons other than the minor’s appearance or oral representations) that the minor receiving the firearm was at least 16 years old. Me. Stat., 17-A §§ 554-A(2), (3).

Possession While Under the Influence.  Me. Stat., 17-A § 1057 makes it a crime to possess a firearm while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, or a combination of liquor and drugs or with an excessive alcohol level, in an establishment licensed for on-premises consumption of liquor.

Permitless carry. Pursuant to Me. Stat., 25 § 2001-A(2)(A-1), any person aged at least 21 who can legally possess a firearm may carry a concealed handgun in Maine without a permit. For active-duty military personnel/National Guard or honorably discharged veterans not otherwise prohibited from carrying a firearm, the minimum age for permitless carry is 18. A person who is 18-20 years old and without these military qualifications must have a permit to carry concealed.  The law applies to both residents of Maine and nonresidents.

Permits to carry. Maine is a “shall issue” jurisdiction.

Issuing agency/official: Maine State Police, unless the applicant’s city\town has a police department that issues permits. For nonresident permits, the issuing agency is the State Police. See “issuing authority” at Me. Stat., 25 § 2002(9). 

Minimum age: 18 

State residency required: Only for the resident permit

Objective disqualifications: The applicant cannot be under 18 years old, a prohibited person under Maine law (see Possession Standards) or disqualified to possess a firearm based on federal law as a result of a criminal conviction; and cannot have a mental disorder that causes the applicant to be potentially dangerous to self or others.

Non-objective disqualifiers: Applicants must “demonstrate[] good moral character,” but this is to be assessed “solely upon information recorded by governmental entities within 5 years of receipt of the application” and based on information of record indicating that the applicant has engaged in reckless or negligent conduct; criminal conduct that isn’t objectively disqualifying; and any incidents of abuse by the applicant of family or household members. Me. Stat., 25 § 2003(1), (4). 

Training /Familiarity Requirement: Yes; the applicant is required to demonstrate to the issuing authority a knowledge of handgun safety by submitting proof that the applicant has, within 5 years prior to the date of application, completed a course that included handgun safety, or is able to personally demonstrate knowledge of handgun safety to an issuing authority, “if the issuing authority is willing to evaluate an applicant's personal demonstration of such knowledge. The issuing authority is not required to offer this 2nd option.” The training might not be required for any applicant who holds a valid state permit to carry a concealed firearm as of April 15, 1990 or of any applicant who was or is in any of the Armed Forces of the United States and has received at least basic firearms training. Me. Stat., 25 § 2003(1)(E)(5). 

Fingerprints required: If “necessary to resolve any questions as to identity,” the applicant must submit to having fingerprints taken by the issuing authority.

Maximum processing time: For a person resident in the state for 5 or more years, the permit must be issued or denied within 30 days; a permit for a nonresident or a resident of less than 5 years must be issued or denied within 60 days. 

Fees: $50 for new applicants or $35 for a renewal (nonresident permit fees are $80 for an original or renewed permit). An issuing authority may waive the permit fee for a permit issued to a law enforcement officer certified by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

Duration of permit: Four years. A person may apply for renewal of a permit at the permit renewal rate at any time within 6 months after expiration of a permit; a person who applies for a permit more than 6 months after the expiration date must submit an original application and pay the original application fee. 

Mandatory notifications: A permit holder who changes their legal residence from one municipality to another during the term of a permit must provide the permit holder’s new address to the issuing authority within 30 days of making that change for the permit to remain valid; the permit will then be re-issued with the new address. A failure to provide this notice invalidates the permit. A permit-holder who is carrying a concealed handgun and comes into contact with law enforcement during the course of any arrest, detainment or routine traffic stop must “immediately inform that law enforcement officer of the fact that the individual is carrying a concealed handgun.” The failure to do so is a civil violation punishable by a fine of up to $100. 

Special Provisions? Applicants must disclose their history with respect to previous issuances of, refusals to issue and revocations of a permit to carry concealed firearms, handguns or other concealed weapons by any issuing authority in the Maine or any other jurisdiction. Me. Stat., 25 § 2003(1)(D)(4). 

A permit (including that of a nonresident who holds a permit issued by the nonresident’s state of residence) must be in the permit-holder’s immediate possession at all times when carrying a concealed handgun and the permit-holder must display the permit on demand of any law enforcement officer. The failure to do so is a civil violation punishable by a fine of up to $100.

A permit holder suspected of being under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs or a combination of liquor and drugs or with an excessive alcohol level while possessing a firearm in a licensed establishment may be required, by law enforcement, to submit to chemical testing. A refusal to submit to testing immediately suspends that person’s permit and the permit must be surrendered to law enforcement. Me. Stat., 25 § 2005-A. 

Non-resident carry. Maine’s permitless carry law is not restricted to persons who are residents of the state. On reciprocity, Maine does not honor all other states permits even though they are a permitless carry state. Maine issues non-resident permits; see CHP_Non-Res_Full.pdf. 

Maine has a special provision for persons on active duty in U.S. Armed Forces. If they qualify as a resident of the State under the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services rules and meet the permit requirements, they are eligible for resident permit issued by the Chief of the State Police and liable to pay the application fee for a resident; Me. Stat., 25 § 2003(18).

Places where carrying is prohibited.

A. Places where carrying is prohibited, even with a permit:

Courthouses, Me. Stat., 17-A, § 1058

Public or Private Schools, except for use in a supervised educational program approved and authorized by the school pursuant to a written policy, Me. Stat., 20-A, § 6552

Establishments licensed for on-premises consumption of liquor, if posted to prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms OR while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs or a combination of liquor and drugs or with an excessive alcohol level, Me. Stat., 17-A, § 1057

Correctional Facilities/Jails, except for a firearm stored out of sight in a locked motor vehicle on the premises of a correctional facility or jail; Me. Stat., 17-A, § 1059

State Capitol Area (as defined); regulation adopted pursuant to Me. Stat., 25 § 2904

At the site of a labor dispute or strike; Me. Stat., 32 § 9412 prohibits being armed with any dangerous weapon, except for security guards “to the extent that federal laws, rules or regulations require the security guard to be armed with a dangerous weapon at the site of a labor dispute or strike”

Federal facilities and buildings, 18 U.S.C. § 930 

B. Persons without a permit carrying under the permitless carry law may not carry at the places listed above and also cannot carry at:

State parks and historic sites and national parks that are controlled and managed by the State, Me. Stat., 12 § 1803(6) and (7)

Acadia National Park, Me. Stat., 12 § 756, with some exceptions (e.g., in authorized hunting or inoperable or packed, cased or stored in a manner that prevents its ready use while in a vehicle)

Employee vehicles on work premises: firearms cannot be stored or transported in an employee vehicle at an employer’s worksite, Me. Stat., 26 § 600 (persons with a valid permit may keep a firearm in the employee’s vehicle as long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is not visible).

The exceptions are (1) ordinances which, with the exception of appropriate civil penalty provisions, duplicate or “conform exactly with any applicable provision of state law,” (2) ordinances which regulate the discharge of firearms within that jurisdiction, or (3) regulations imposed by a local law enforcement agency on the type and use of firearms issued or authorized by that agency for use by its employees. Me. Stat., 25 § 2011(1) - (4). 

A person aggrieved by a violation of the preemption law may bring suit at law or in equity for redress against any person who subjects that individual, or causes that individual to be subjected, to an action prohibited by the preemption statute. Any individual aggrieved by the seizure or confiscation of a firearm or ammunition in violation of preemption may bring an action for the return of the firearm or ammunition in the Superior Court of the county in which that individual resides or in which the firearm or ammunition is located. In these actions, the court must award a prevailing plaintiff costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. Me. Stat., 25 § 2011(5)(B) to (D).

A separate state law prohibits a municipality or any political subdivision of the state from generally enacting ordinances, laws or rules regulating hunting, fishing or trapping. This exempts any ordinance generally regulating the discharge of firearms within that municipality. Me. Stat., 12 § 13201.

 State law prohibits a municipality from bringing a civil action against a firearm or ammunition manufacturer for damages or injunctive relief resulting from or relating to the lawful design, manufacture, marketing or sale of firearms or ammunition to the public. This does not prohibit actions for breach of contract or warranty for firearms or ammunition purchased by a municipality. Me. Stat., 30-A § 2005.

“Advertisement” means a message regarding a firearm for sale by a seller that is broadcast on television or radio, broadly disseminated over the Internet, printed in magazines or newspapers, or displayed on a handbill, poster, sign or placard.

 This law does not apply to transactions in which the buyer and seller are “family members,” “or that involve a firearm that is an “antique firearm,” or a sale or transfer of a curio or relic, as defined in federal law, between licensed collectors. Eligible “family members” are a spouse, domestic partner, parent, stepparent, foster parent, child, stepchild, foster child or person related by consanguinity within the 2nd degree.

 With some exceptions, state law imposes a 72-hour waiting period between the sale or transfer of a firearm and delivery to a purchaser/transferee. The law does not apply to sales and transfers of a firearm (1) to a licensed dealer, (2) where the buyer and seller are family members (spouse, domestic partner, parent, stepparent, foster parent, child, stepchild, foster child or person related by consanguinity within the 2nd degree), (3) antique firearms, or transfers of curios or relics, as defined in federal law, between licensed collectors, (4) where the seller knows the buyer is a law enforcement or corrections officer or licensed as private security, or (5) firearms for which a  background check is not required under federal or state law. Me. Stat., 25 § 2016. This law was enjoined by a preliminary injunction in early 2025 in Beckwith v. Frey, 766 F.Supp.3d 123 (D. Me. 2025); however, as of October 2025, the appeal of that ruling was pending.

 It is a crime to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly sell or transfer a firearm (other than a antique firearm) to a person who is a prohibited person under state law and who does not have a permit to possess a firearm issued under Me. Stat., 15 § 393. Me. Stat., 15 § 394.

The law authorizes a law enforcement officer to take a person into protective custody for the purpose of an assessment by a medical practitioner, based on probable cause that the person is likely to “present a likelihood of foreseeable harm” (this means a substantial risk in the foreseeable future of serious physical harm to the person as manifested by recent behaviors or threats of, or attempts at, suicide or serious self-inflicted harm; or a substantial risk in the foreseeable future of serious physical harm to other persons). If the officer is unable to take the person into protective custody to conduct an assessment, the officer may apply for a protective custody warrant.   

The medical practitioner may rely on information provided by a third party if it reasonably appears that they have had recent personal observations of or conversations with the person being assessed. If the medical assessment determines the person meets the “likelihood of foreseeable harm” threshold, the officer or law enforcement agency must, as soon as practicable, seek an endorsement by a Justice of the Superior Court, a Judge of the District Court or a justice of the peace that results in a temporary prohibition against the person acquiring or possessing dangerous weapons pending the outcome of a judicial hearing, and a requirement that the person surrender any weapons possessed, controlled or acquired by the restricted person to a law enforcement officer. This must be communicated to the person as soon as practicable after the judicial endorsement.

A court hearing must be held within 30 days of that notice, although this time may be extended for good cause. The court at the hearing must consider whether there are grounds to extend the initial restrictions – whether there have been recent threats or acts of violence towards self or others by the restricted person; recent acts of unlawful abuse of animals; the reckless use or threatening display of a dangerous weapon, the person’s mental health history, and similar relevant evidence. The standard for extending the initial prohibitions is whether there is clear and convincing evidence of the likelihood of foreseeable harm. If so, the court may extend the prohibitions against possession or acquisition/mandatory surrender for up to one year (“extended order”) . If the court does not so find, the court shall deny the petition and order the return of any weapons surrendered or seized.

The court must schedule a hearing within 45 days prior to the expiration of an extended order to determine if the order should be renewed.

A weapon surrendered to or seized by a law enforcement agency must be returned to the restricted person when the threat-based restrictions expire. If a seized or surrendered weapon remains unclaimed for 6 months after the expiration or dissolution of threat-based restrictions, the law enforcement agency may dispose of the weapon.