Summary of Maine Gun Laws (Third Edition)

Published in 2026, the Maine Gun Safety Coalition Foundation’s Third Edition of the Summary of Maine Gun Laws is an updated compendium of firearm regulations currently in effect in the State of Maine.

This pamphlet provides a comprehensive summary of Maine laws regulating the ownership and use of firearms. The Maine Criminal Code defines a “firearm” as “any weapon, whether loaded or unloaded, which is designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive and includes any such weapon commonly referred to as a pistol, revolver, rifle, gun, machine gun or shotgun.”1 Also included in the definition is any “weapon which can be made into a firearm by the insertion of a firing pin, or other similar thing, or by repair.” Throughout this pamphlet, the terms “firearm” and “gun” will be used interchangeably and will rely on the definition contained in the Maine Criminal Code.

This pamphlet is intended to be an objective summary of existing Maine laws and regulations relating to gun sales, possession and use. Although this pamphlet may inspire some to attempt to change the law by either weakening or strengthening the regulation of firearms, it is not intended to favor one side over the other.