Latest Statistics on Maine Gun Deaths Released
Report comes as gun lobby-backed politicians attempt to undermine will of voters and roll back gun safety laws
FOR RELEASE: April 6, 2026
PORTLAND – Maine’s suicide rate is higher than the national average and among the top third of state suicide rates in the country, according to the annual Firearm Fatalities and Hospitalizations Reportsubmitted by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Department of Health and Human Services to the legislature.
Firearms are the most common method of suicide, and the vast majority of gun deaths in Maine are suicide. Additionally, the number of Mainers who have died by firearm suicide has remained unchanged from 2023-2025, despite 560 “yellow flag” petitions filed, which suggests that Maine’s unique law was not adequately designed to reduce suicide.
“This is why we worked so hard to pass an Extreme Risk Protection Order law last November,” said Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition. “Our new law is better suited to help prevent suicides, by empowering family members to go directly to a court instead of having their loved one – who is already in crisis – taken into custody. By making it easier for families to get help, we make it easier for them to save lives.”
Despite overwhelming (63%) support from Maine voters, some lawmakers in Augusta are attempting to overturn the will of the voters and repeal Question 2.
“We’re confident that lawmakers will protect the decision voters made in November and reject this anti-democratic effort,” said Palmer.
Gun lobby-backed politicians, including some Democrats, are also considering a repeal of Maine's 72-hour waiting period law, which a federal appeals court allowed to go into effect last Friday. Waiting period laws are one of the most effective tools to address firearm suicides by providing for a delay, or “cooling-off period,” for people in crisis.
“It would be a devastating failure of leadership for lawmakers to repeal our state’s waiting period law weeks after new data show Maine still has one of the highest suicide rates in the country,” Palmer added. “If legislators give in to gun industry lobbyists who have proven they’re out of touch with Mainers, we'll do our best to ensure voters remember.”
