Maine gun laws let most adults 21 and older carry a handgun openly or concealed without any permit, require a federal background check and a 72-hour wait when buying from a licensed dealer, and keep firearms out of specific places like schools, courthouses, bars, and most of Acadia National Park. The state preempts local firearm ordinances, so the rules are the same in every town and county.
Who Can Legally Own a Firearm
Title 15, § 393 lists the people barred from owning or possessing firearms in Maine. The main disqualifiers are a conviction for any crime punishable by a year or more in prison, a domestic violence conviction or active protection order covering an intimate partner or child, an involuntary mental health commitment, a finding of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, or a finding of incompetence to stand trial. Fugitives from justice, unlawful drug users, people dishonorably discharged from the military, and anyone who has renounced U.S. citizenship are also prohibited.1Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 15 Section 393 – Possession of Firearms Prohibited for Certain Persons
Possessing a firearm after a felony-level conviction is a Class B crime in Maine, carrying up to 10 years in prison. Most other prohibited-person violations are Class C, with a five-year maximum. A judge handling a protection-from-abuse case can also specifically order a defendant not to possess firearms, bows, crossbows, or other dangerous weapons while the order is in force.2Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 19-A Section 4110 – Relief
Age-wise, federal law sets the floor at 18 to buy a long gun and 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer. Private sales of long guns to anyone under 16 are prohibited in Maine unless the seller is the minor’s parent or guardian.
Buying a Firearm: Background Check and 72-Hour Wait
Every purchase from a licensed dealer runs through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The dealer submits your information to NICS by phone or electronically and receives a determination on whether you can legally take possession.3Federal Bureau of Investigation. Firearms Checks (NICS)
The 72-Hour Waiting Period
LD 2238, enacted in 2024, requires a 72-hour wait between the start of a firearm sale and the moment you can take the gun home.4Maine State Legislature. An Act to Address Gun Violence in Maine by Requiring a Waiting Period for Certain Firearm Purchases A federal district court initially struck the law down, but in April 2026 the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, vacated the injunction, and found the waiting period likely constitutional. The law is in effect while the underlying case continues on remand. Plan on three full days between paying and picking up.
Private Sales That Are Advertised Publicly
A separate 2024 law, LD 2224, pulled certain private sales into the background check system. If you advertise a firearm for sale online, on social media, or in print, the transfer has to run through a licensed dealer who performs the NICS check.5Maine State Legislature. An Act to Strengthen Public Safety by Improving Maines Firearm Laws and Mental Health System Private transfers between family members, friends, and hunting partners that aren’t publicly advertised remain exempt.
Carrying a Handgun in Maine
Maine is a constitutional carry state. Under 25 M.R.S. § 2001-A, anyone 21 or older who isn’t otherwise prohibited can carry a concealed handgun anywhere in the state without a permit. The age drops to 18 for active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard and for honorably discharged veterans.6Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 25 Section 2001-A – Threatening Display of or Carrying Concealed Weapon
If you carry concealed without a permit, you have a legal duty to tell any law enforcement officer immediately that you are armed during a stop, detention, or arrest.7Maine State Police. Concealed Carry in Maine Permit holders are not specifically required to volunteer this information, though doing so is still sensible.
Open carry is also legal statewide without a permit, in any location where firearms aren’t otherwise prohibited. Keep the firearm clearly visible. If a jacket shifts and covers a holstered handgun, you’ve effectively started carrying concealed, which pulls you back into the duty-to-inform rule if you don’t hold a permit.
Why Some People Still Get a Permit
Maine issues voluntary concealed handgun permits mainly for reciprocity: a Maine permit is honored in roughly 29 other states, which matters when you travel armed. A new resident permit costs $50 and renewals cost $35, applied for through the Maine State Police or your local issuing authority.8Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 25 Section 2003 – Permits to Carry Concealed Handguns A permit also covers you in certain narrow situations, like Acadia and employer parking lots, where permitless carriers aren’t protected.
Where You Can’t Carry
Constitutional carry doesn’t override location-specific bans. The main off-limits categories:
Schools. Title 20-A, § 6552 prohibits possessing a firearm on public school property or on the grounds of an approved private school, and bars discharging a firearm within 500 feet of school property.9Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 20-A Section 6552 – Firearms Federal Gun-Free School Zone law may independently reach school buses and off-campus events the state statute doesn’t specifically list.
Courthouses and federal buildings. Judicial facilities ban firearms outright. Federal buildings follow 18 U.S.C. § 930, which prohibits firearms in any federal facility.
Bars and restaurants serving alcohol. Possessing a firearm in an establishment licensed for on-premises liquor consumption while under the influence is a Class D crime. The intoxication threshold is 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, the same as for driving. A concealed carry permit is not a defense. Officers can request chemical testing on probable cause, and refusing is admissible against you.10Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A Section 1057 – Possession of Firearms in an Establishment Licensed for On-Premises Consumption of Liquor
Acadia National Park. Acadia runs under its own Maine statute, Title 12, § 756, that is stricter than general carry law. You may have a firearm at Acadia only inside a residential dwelling, during authorized hunting, in a vehicle if the firearm is unloaded and cased or otherwise inoperable, or on your person if you hold a valid Maine concealed handgun permit.11Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 Section 756 – Acadia National Park Permitless constitutional carry doesn’t cover you here. Federal law separately prohibits firearms inside all National Park Service buildings, including visitor centers and ranger stations.12National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks
Posted private property. Any property owner can prohibit firearms. Entering armed after a posted notice can lead to criminal trespass charges.
Employer parking lots. An employer cannot stop you from keeping a firearm locked out of sight in your own vehicle in the company lot, provided you hold a valid concealed carry permit. The protection extends to state employees on state-owned or leased lots, and employers get civil immunity for incidents involving a firearm stored that way.13Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 26 Section 600 – Concealed Firearms in Vehicles
Self-Defense and Use of Force
Maine is not a stand-your-ground state. If you’re in a public place or on someone else’s property and you can retreat with complete safety, you have to retreat before using deadly force. If a prosecutor proves beyond a reasonable doubt that you knew safe retreat was available, the use of deadly force won’t be considered justified. This is the piece of Maine self-defense law that catches people out, especially anyone used to the rules in other states.
The duty to retreat stops at your front door. Under Title 17-A, § 104, you can use deadly force against someone who has unlawfully entered your dwelling or secretly stayed inside, as long as you reasonably believe they are about to commit another crime inside the home. You must first demand that the intruder leave and the intruder must fail to comply, unless making that demand would put you or someone else in danger.14Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A Section 104 – Use of Force in Defense of Premises Deadly force is also justified to prevent arson regardless of retreat.
The Yellow Flag Law
Maine uses a “yellow flag” process instead of the “red flag” model found in many other states. The practical difference is that a medical practitioner has to evaluate the person and confirm the risk before a court can restrict firearm rights. A petition from police or a family member alone is not enough.15Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 34-B Section 3862-A – Extreme Risk Protection Orders
The sequence runs like this. A law enforcement officer with probable cause to believe a person has or might acquire a weapon and poses a foreseeable risk of harm takes the person into protective custody. A medical practitioner then evaluates whether the person actually presents a likelihood of foreseeable harm. If so, police seek endorsement from a judge or justice of the peace, at which point the person becomes a “restricted person” and must surrender all weapons. The restricted person has a right to a hearing within 30 days, where the district attorney must prove continuing risk by clear and convincing evidence. If the court is not persuaded, the restrictions dissolve and the weapons come back. If it is, the restrictions extend.
Storing Guns Around Children
Title 17-A, § 1059 makes it a Class E crime to leave a loaded firearm on premises you control when you know or should know a child under 16 is likely to get at it without parental permission, if the child then uses the gun recklessly, threatens someone, commits a crime, or negligently discharges it. Trigger locks and locked storage are the practical response. Federal law requires licensed dealers to make a secure storage or safety device available with every handgun transfer, so one is on offer at the point of sale.
Magazines, Suppressors, and Other Accessories
Maine imposes no state-level cap on magazine capacity. Suppressors are legal to own and legal to use for recreational shooting and hunting, provided you clear the federal National Firearms Act process, including the tax stamp and registration. The state adds no permit or registration layer on top of the federal requirements.
Local Ordinances Can’t Add More Rules
Under Title 25, § 2011, Maine preempts the entire field of firearms regulation. No municipality, county, or other political subdivision may pass its own ordinances on the sale, purchase, transfer, ownership, possession, transportation, licensing, or taxation of firearms, ammunition, or accessories, and conflicting local ordinances are void. The one exception lets towns regulate where firearms may be discharged, which is how some populated areas restrict shooting within town limits.16Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 25 Section 2011 – State Preemption For everything else covered above, the rules travel with you from Kittery to Fort Kent.