Gun Laws in Maine
Gun Friendliness Score
How We Calculate Gun Friendliness Scores
The Gun Friendliness Score ranges from 0 to 100 and represents how favorable a state's laws are toward gun ownership and use. We evaluate each state across 50 key gun policies, assigning points based on how these policies affect gun owners:
- Policies that support gun rights, reduce restrictions, or expand legal protections for gun owners receive positive points
- Policies that restrict firearm ownership, limit purchase options, or add regulatory burdens receive negative points
Maine's strong score of 86 reflects the state's constitutional carry laws, minimal restrictions on firearm types, strong self-defense protections, and overall limited government interference with Second Amendment rights.
Maine Gun Laws Summary
Maine has positioned itself as one of the most gun-friendly states in the Northeast. The state maintains minimal restrictions on firearms and ammunition, generally avoiding additional regulations beyond federal requirements.
Maine is a shall-issue state for concealed weapons permits, though permits are entirely optional. Local police chiefs, town officials, or the Maine State Police handle permit issuance depending on the jurisdiction. While not required, obtaining a permit provides advantages including reciprocity with other states and simplified firearm purchases in some cases.
Since October 15, 2015, Maine has been a constitutional carry state when Governor Paul LePage signed LD 652 into law. Any law-abiding citizen or legal resident who is at least 18 years old and legally permitted to possess a firearm can carry a concealed weapon without a permit within state borders. Maine was the ninth state to adopt constitutional carry, reinforcing its commitment to Second Amendment rights.
Permitting, Sales and Transfers
No permits are required to purchase firearms or ammunition in Maine. Background checks are conducted for sales through federally licensed dealers (FFLs) as required by federal law, using the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Private sales between individuals require no background check, permit, or registration. Maine law does not maintain any registry of firearm transfers or ownership, and a 2016 ballot initiative to require universal background checks was rejected by voters.
Firearms in Public and in the Home
Maine is a constitutional carry state where no permit is required for open or concealed carry. Residents aged 18 and older who can legally possess firearms may carry without a permit. Maine honors concealed carry permits from certain states with similar or stricter issuance standards.
Open carry is legal without a permit for anyone 18 years or older who can legally possess a firearm. Certain locations prohibit carry, including federal buildings, state parks, schools, and courthouses. For those who choose to obtain a permit, Maine requires demonstration of handgun safety knowledge and proficiency, which can be satisfied through hunter safety courses, military training, or other approved training courses. The cost for a permit is $35 for residents, and permits are valid for four years.
Firearm, Feature and Accessory Bans
Maine has no bans on semi-automatic firearms, detachable magazines, or firearms with specific features. There are no magazine capacity restrictions. All NFA items (suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, etc.) are legal to own provided federal requirements are met. Maine removed a previous ban on sound suppressors for hunting in 2015, allowing their use for all hunting except deer, moose, wild turkey, and bear.
Local Laws
Maine has strong statewide preemption of firearms laws. Title 25, Chapter 252, §2011 of Maine law prohibits municipalities from adopting any order, ordinance, rule, or regulation concerning the sale, purchase, transfer, ownership, use, possession, transportation, licensing, permitting, registration, or taxation of firearms. This ensures uniform gun laws throughout the state and prevents local governments from creating more restrictive regulations.
2025 Gun Law Checklist
Maine Gun Policy Profile: 50 Key Legislative Points
Purchasing and Sales Regulations
Background Check for Any Firearm Sale
State requires any firearm sale to go through a licensed dealer (FFL) and be subject to a background check. (Federal law requires those "engaged in the business" of buying/selling firearms to perform a background check during a sale). A private sale or transfer of any firearm between individuals (non-family members) must be also conducted through an FFL.
Background Check for Any Handgun Sale (Including Private Sales)
All handgun sales and most transfers are subject to a background check. Private sales of handguns between individuals (non-family members) must be conducted through an FFL.
Background Check Extensions
State will halt the transfer of a firearm if a background check is delayed. Some states will halt the process indefinitely, some for a set amount of time.
Failed Background Check Reported to Law Enforcement
The firearm dealer (or state agency conducting the background check) has a responsibility to notify local law enforcement of a failed background check.
Must be 21 or Older to Purchase
Most firearms–including rifles, shotguns, and handguns–cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 21. (Federal laws permit long guns to be sold to those over the age of 18.)
Permit to Purchase
State requires a permit (single-use or renewable) for all firearms or specifically for handguns. States typically charge a fee for the permit and a background check is performed during the application.
Mandatory Waiting Periods
Prior to purchasing a firearm, an individual must wait a specified period (typically between 3-14 days) between initiating the purchase and taking possession of the firearm.
State Licenses All Gun Dealers
State has a licensing system for firearms merchants above and beyond the federal (FFL) system.
Purchase Rejected for Public Safety Reasons
State officials able to block sales of firearms if the purchaser is deemed to be a threat to themselves or to public safety (according to the judgment of the official)
Approved Handgun Roster
State controls what make and model handguns are sold; according to their own criteria. Often, this involves a "roster" of approved handguns with the right "safety" features, such as a loaded chamber indicator, or even the amount of metal in the firearm (Maryland). Often, LE are exempt from these requirements.
Strict Unfinished Frames and Receivers Laws
State sets a lower threshold for unfinished frames and receivers (beyond ATF rule 2021R-05F). Includes ban on 3D-printing of these parts in some states.
Ownership and Registration Requirements
Permit to Possess
Several states require a permit just to possess: a handgun (New York); any firearms or ammunition (Illinois).
State Firearm or Handgun Registry
State keeps a record of every firearm or handgun sold. Includes states with a permit to purchase and states that keep records of purchases.
Mandatory Firearms Training
Prior to purchasing a firearm, an individual must prove they completed the state ordered training. Often, this is part of the application process for a Permit to Purchase.
Secure Storage Requirement
Gun owners must lock up firearms in the home (or anywhere else a minor or prohibited person may have access).
Magazine Capacity Limits
State limits magazine capacity for some or all firearms.
"Assault Weapons" Ban
Magazine fed, semi-automatic, centerfire rifles cannot have other "features" (pistol grip, flash hider, etc.) or they are considered "assault weapons." New guns cannot be registered as "assault weapons." Possession is prohibited with limited exceptions.
Microstamping Law
State has a law banning the sale of a new pistol unless its firing can imprint its serial number somewhere on the cartridge case during firing. This technology is make-believe at present, but these laws will effectively ban the sale of new handguns in the state if/when they become effective
Penalties for Not Reporting a Lost or Stolen Firearm
Gun owners must report the loss or theft of firearms–usually within several days of the incident or first discovering the loss–or potentially face a criminal penalty.
Carry and Location Restrictions
Mandatory Permit for Concealed Carry
State requires a permit to carry a concealed pistol. This includes all states that "may issue" a permit (where officials may deny a permit for subjective reasons).
Officials Can Deny Carry Permit
State allows the carry permit officials to deny an application based on the state's own criteria.
Open Carry Limited or Banned
State restricts open carry to rifles and shotguns or bans open carry completely unless you are LE or special permit holder.
No Carry Mandate for College Campuses
State has not passed a blanket law permitting concealed carry on college campuses.
Gun Ban on Most Public Property
State limits or bans any type of carry in and around government facilities (state, county, municipal) and/or limits carry of firearms in parades and demonstrations
Guns Banned in Bars
State prohibits carry inside bars or consumption of alcohol while carrying.
No Guns in K-12 Schools
Only LE (and in some states, specially licensed school officials) may carry on school property.
Does Not Recognize Other States' Carry Permits
State doesn't consider concealed carry permits from other states valid
Prohibited Persons and Possession Restrictions
Felons are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting felons from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this.
Fugitives are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting fugitives from justice from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this.
Involuntarily Committed are Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting those who have been involuntarily committed (to a psychiatric hospital or mental institution), or those found to be a danger to themselves or others from owning guns and ammo. Federal law already prohibits anyone found to be mentally defective or committed to a mental institution at 16 years or older.
Violent Offenders Cannot Possess
State will take away firearms, deny future possession, or at minimum deny future purchase of firearms for certain misdemeanor crimes of violence (besides domestic violence violence).
Domestic Violence Offenders Also Prohibited Persons at State Level
State has a law prohibiting those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from owning guns and ammo, even though federal law already does this
Stalkers are Prohibited Persons at the State Level
State has either made stalking a felony (instant prohibitor) or makes an individual convicted of misdemeanor stalking a prohibited person.
Intervention and Seizure Provisions
Red Flag Law
Law enforcement (and others, depending on the state) is allowed to request that firearms be taken away from others with limited due process.
Emergency Gun Seizure Before Restraining Orders
Similar to a red flag law, state will take away guns before an actual conviction. This is often during domestic disputes, before a restraining order takes effect, and in similar situations.
Guns Seized for Hate Crimes
State will take away all firearms from an individual in response to a misdemeanor hate crime conviction.
Guns Seized After Becoming Prohibited
State will quickly respond when an individual's status changes to prohibited and take away all firearms belonging to that person.
Guns Seized After Domestic Violence Conviction
State will quickly respond to take away firearms from an individual if they are convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.
Guns Seized Amid Restraining Orders
State will take away all firearms from anyone who is subject to a restraining order, even though federal law already does this.
No Stand Your Ground Law
State imposes a "duty to retreat" before using force or requires "proportional force" when responding to an attack or dangerous situation with force.
Monitoring and Threat Assessment
Mental Health Database
State maintains records of anyone that has been committed or involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitals. They send this information to the FBI for use by the NICS (or when conducting a state background check, if applicable).
School Officials Conduct Threat Assessments
Teams of mostly school officials are empowered by law to refer children for mental health assessments or take more drastic action if they believe the child poses a threat to themselves or others.
Mandatory Tracing of "Crime Guns"
Law enforcement must use either a state system or the federal firearm tracing system to research any firearm recovered from a crime scene or used in a crime.
Law Enforcement Oversight and Accountability
No LE Officers Bill of Rights
Some states never passed (or passed and later repealed) a set of basic protections for public safety officers. These protections vary by state. They often include the right to engage in political activity and run for public office, and the right to refuse a lie detector test, among other things.
Heavy Restrictions on LE Use of Deadly Force
State laws severely limit the discharge of firearms to apprehend criminals, including against individuals suspected of murder or fleeing a felony in many cases.
Reports for LE Deadly Force Incidents
Law enforcement agencies are required to report any officer-involved shootings that result in serious injury or death. Monthly or annual reports are compiled using this data and made available to the public.
No Qualified Immunity Defense Laws
In civil court, LE officials may not use a defense of qualified immunity if they are accused of certain civil rights violations. This includes situations in which a firearm was used.
Prevention and Support Programs
Dedicated Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Some states have passed legislation creating gun violence prevention offices that target "community gun violence." Taxpayer funds are used to support these programs, which may have little to no effect on violent crime.
Funding for Services of Victims of Gun Violence
Some states maximize the use of federal money intended for victims of violent crime by increasing pool of eligible claimants. Money is paid out to families of convicted felons in many cases.
Local Control
Counties / Cities / Towns Can Pass Stricter Gun Laws
Local governments are free to pass their own gun control laws in addition to any existing laws at the federal and state levels. Some states prohibit local governments from passing laws about specific things-including guns. This is known as preemption.
Conclusion
This piece discusses the ammunition and firearms laws that govern the state of Maine. To do so, the piece starts off with coverage of the ammo laws, with an eye on the process of having ammunition shipped to a residential address within the state of ME. From there, we cover the firearm laws, focusing first on the buying of firearms in the state and then turning to the legalities of carrying a firearm. With that done, the piece ends with some resources that we think would be useful to folks who want to buy, own, and carry firearms in Maine.
This piece is not intended as legal advice. Instead, our aim here is that the piece should serve as a useful base of knowledge so that you can make your own informed decisions about firearms in the state.
Like many states, Maine has a preemption statute. This means that the state has declared that local political units such as cities, towns, and counties, cannot make firearms laws that are more strict than those at the state level. Preemption makes life simpler for firearms owners in the state, as it means that one single set of laws applies in the state. Once you have a good understanding of Maine state law, that same understanding will carry across the entire state.
Maine is something of an outlier in the typically highly-restrictive Northeast. For instance, the state expressly forbids the creation of a firearms registry. With that said, some local events hint to the anti-gun sentiment that can be found in the region, even if Maine’s laws remain relatively permissive at this time.
Ammo Laws/Buying Ammo in Maine
First, we will cover the ammo laws of Maine.
Maine has generally permissive ammunition laws, with some exceptions. Maine’s primary restriction when it comes to ammunition is a ban on armor-piercing handgun ammunition - it is illegal to buy, sell, or possess such ammo in the state.
Aside from that, buying ammunition in the state of Maine follows federal guidelines. To be able to buy ammo anywhere in the US, two sets of requirements, set forth by the ATF, have to be met:
The first is an age requirement: people have to be eighteen years of age or older to buy ammunition for rifles or shotguns, and at least twenty-one to buy ammunition for handguns. The second requirement is that anyone buying ammo cannot be a prohibited person. The ATF defines prohibited persons as people who have been convicted of felonies or domestic violence, those who have been found mentally unfit in a court of law, and people who have been involuntarily committed to an inpatient mental health facility.
Assuming that those two sets of requirements are met, and the ammo is not armor-piercing, Maine’s state laws do not forbid people from having ammunition shipped to a residential address. With that said, some carriers impose their own restrictions. Commonly, carriers might ask for an adult with a valid form of identification to be present to sign for a package that contains ammunition.
Once the ammo arrives, Maine does not ban any kinds of magazines, so buyers can place the ammunition into whatever magazines they choose.
Maine’s ammunition laws are generally permissive, aside from the ban on armor-piercing rounds. The process for ordering most other types of ammunition to a residential address in Maine is as straightforward as it can be, considering that it follows Federal processes.
Gun Laws/Buying Guns in Maine
Now we’ll do the same analysis for firearms laws in the state of Maine.
Much like the ammunition laws, the firearms laws are fairly permissive in Maine. The state does not have an assault weapons ban, either by naming specific weapons or by creating a list of forbidden features. Similarly, the state does not ban its residents from owning NFA items.
The firearms purchasing process in the state is governed mostly by federal regulations: Maine does not impose its own waiting periods, nor does it require people to do a background check when conducting private party sales. With that said, it is always advisable for private sellers to do their due diligence to ensure that the buyer of their firearm is neither a prohibited person nor too young to own the firearm being sold.
When buying a firearm at an FFL in Maine, the buyer should bring both a valid form of identification and a form of payment. The FFL will have the buyer complete ATF Form 4473 to do a background check. Once both the payment and background check are cleared, the buyer is welcome to leave with their new firearm in hand on the same day.
This might not be the case forever, however: there have been legislative proposals recently to institute state-level waiting periods for firearms purchases.
Carrying a firearm in Maine is also straightforward. Maine allows permitless carry-by statute: this statute allows people who can legally own firearms to carry them, either openly or concealed.
Like most states with permitless carry, Maine still maintains their concealed weapons permitting program. The main benefit of this is to allow Maine residents to be able to legally carry their firearms in other states. Many other states do, in fact, recognize Maine’s concealed carry permits.
With or without a permit, Maine maintains a list of places where it is prohibited to carry a firearm. This list includes:
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Courthouses
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State parks
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Schools
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Federal buildings
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The State Capitol
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Private property when prohibited by the owner
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Bars
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Labor strikes
While lists like this one are not unusual, the inclusion of state parks is a little out of the ordinary, even amongst more restrictive states. For a fairly permissive state, this list is uncharacteristically restrictive on the right to carry firearms.
While the gun laws as they are now are permissive, there’s some evidence that the tides might be changing in Maine in terms of its ammo and firearms laws. In addition to the legislative proposals cited above, there are no more major manufacturers of firearms in the state. Without legislative will or economic roots in the state, the firearms industry, and thus firearms rights, are looking precarious in Maine. For example, Maine has also passed a law mandating the safe storage of firearms and imposes penalties if children can access firearms in the home.
Currently, the gun and ammo laws in Maine are some of the most permissive in the nation. There’s a ban on armor-piercing ammunition, but such bans mostly rehash federal prohibitions anyway. With that said, there are some political and economic rumblings beginning in the state that point to it possibly becoming less firearms-friendly in the future.
Sales Tax on Guns/Ammo in Maine
Maine’s general sales tax rate is 5.5%, which does not vary by locality within the state. The state does not charge any additional taxes on the sale of firearms or ammunition. This is not one of the states where shopping around for different FFLs for tax reasons makes a difference.
More Resources:
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The ATF maintains a list of every FFL in the United States, including in Maine. The list is kept up to date and can be used to locate gun stores. Usually, gun stores are either Type One or Type Two FFLs.
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Wheretoshoot.org is an excellent tool for finding ranges anywhere in the country. Use the filters for city, zip code, and distance to find local ranges wherever you need. Users can submit ranges, and the information is frequently fact-checked.
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There are a number of well-rated gun stores in the state as well.
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Gun Owners of Maine links to a number of localized firearms groups, which provide good sources of information about gun laws and events in Maine.