OT-Moving to Maine-Gun laws?

[Jason_W]

My wife and I are moving to the Bangor, ME area in early June. Is anyone here familiar with Maine gun laws? It's going to be an adjustment from Vermont, which doesn't have any laws regulating open or concealed carry.

[Pete44ru]

While I've only hunted in Maine since 1967, never being a resident, AFAIK a CCW is needed for concealed handgun carry, even while hunting.
IIRC, open handgun carry is legal w/o a CCW. only while afield and in posession of a hunting license.

Long gun carry is also legal, even in town (provided the firearm is empty, IIRC) - also when in posession of a hunting license.

I have no clue, as to how/what Maine state laws pertain to firearms and individuals w/o a hunting license.

.

[stretch]

I live in Maine, and here are the laws as I understand them:

Concealed carry requires a permit.
I believe open carry is legal.

Open or concealed is legal while hunting.
It used to be only open carry was legal, but
the law was changed to allow a handgun under
a coat while hunting to keep it out of the weather.

You'll probably have to take a course to prove competence
with a handgun. The class not State law, though. It used to be
you only needed a note from your local selectman or police
chief, but no one dares to say anyone is competent for
reasons of liability these days. So, unless you're a cop or just
out of the service (basic training counts if you shot a gun),
you'll need to take a class. Very basic, the standards are
quite low, no problem. Just time and $.

Take the class, fill out the app, give the State some more $
and a coupla passport photos, wait a few weeks, and you're
good to go.

Vermont has the right idea - it still recognizes the 2nd Amendment.

-Stretch

[deerwhacker444]

Well, Hopefully Congrats are in order since I remember employment was a factor for you and your wife a while back. I don't have anything to add about Maine, but I do hope once you get settled your bullet testing will resume..

[Jason_W]

Well, Hopefully Congrats are in order since I remember employment was a factor for you and your wife a while back. I don't have anything to add about Maine, but I do hope once you get settled your bullet testing will resume..

I'm trying to get a little testing in before we pack up.

I don't have employment in the area yet, but I'm applying, and at least there are temp agencies there that could potentially hold me over.

My wife is interested in finishing a degree, and that's where she started school about 5 years ago, so it makes practical sense to just continue.

[Jason_W]

Vermont has the right idea - it still recognizes the 2nd Amendment.

-Stretch

Don't give VT too much credit. My theory is that the only reason we still have unregulated carry in VT is that all the Dems in the house and senate are too busy cranking up everyone's property taxes to notice

[O.S.O.K.]

Doesn't sound too bad. Do they have an "assawlt" weapon ban? If not, its not that bad really.

[stretch]

No "assault weapons" ban, no magazine capacity limits,
no waiting period to buy guns, no registration, no
permits to buy ammo - at least not yet!!

-Stretch

[Pepe Ray]

FYI heads up;
The authority to issue CW permits only reverts to the State of Maine if the local town government refuses to accept the responsibility. there are small towns in the state with boards of selectmen who have the guts to handle the job.
If you have a choice in locating a home it will be necessary to inquire if the issuing authority is local or state.

When the old law made its initial major change back in '80 or '81, the nation lost its last set of walnuts.
The criteria for making the decision as to the worthiness of an applicant went from the board of select men to a MASAI (state law description). All because of spineless local politicians. A long story.
Pepe Ray

[stretch]

"The authority to issue CW permits only reverts to the State of Maine if the local town government refuses to accept the responsibility. there are small towns in the state with boards of selectmen who have the guts to handle the job."



You're right, of course, Ray.

But those little towns where ya can call up a selectman
and get your paperwork approved over a cup of coffee
are quickly going the way of the dinosaur, especially so if
you're from out of state. Most towns have gone all wimpy
though under some sort of threat of perceived liability if
someone else makes a mistake. The whole matter is silly,
really. Either you're not a madman or a felon and you can
have a gun, or you can't. How you carry it is up to you.


On the other hand, there were some little towns near
Bangor (Aurora methinks?) where you could have a party
line into the mid-1990s. So there are still those little
pockets in this state where things are done the
old-fashioned way.

-Stretch

[Jason_W]

How about when transporting guns to the range if you don't have a hunting license? Do they need to be transported in a locked case?

[stretch]

Jason, I think you've got to transport them unloaded and not in
the passenger compartment. But to tell you the truth, I'm
kinda not sure. That's why I got my CCW permit. If it's a
handgun, I just don't care. I carry it however the hell I
want to. This way, there's never any question as
to whether or not it's legal. It is.

I'd be surprised if anybody hassled you for carrying anything
locked in your trunk. I remember an older friend of mine I
used to shoot bullseye with in the winter who didn't have
his CCW permit. He threw everthing in the trunk and didn't
worry about it. He's done it that way for decades.

Remember too, that if you get stopped for a minor traffic violation,
there's no reason to let on that you have a gun (or guns!) in the car
if they're in your trunk, at least not in Maine. You're not required to
tell an LEO who stops your car whether or not you have a CCW permit,
either. In some states yes, but not in Maine. Put anything gun-related in
the trunk and lock it, make sure your guns are unloaded, and you'll have
no trouble at all.

I frequently keep my shooting bag in the cab of my pickup truck, and
if I ever get stopped on my way to or from the range, I'll just give the
LEO my carry permit as well as the license if he asks about guns.

You cannot transport long guns with a round in the chamber.

I did see a fella in Augusta the other day with a shotgun in a
window rack. That's fine as long as no round is in the chamber.

-Stretch

[jlchucker]

Vermont has the right idea - it still recognizes the 2nd Amendment.

-Stretch

Don't give VT too much credit. My theory is that the only reason we still have unregulated carry in VT is that all the Dems in the house and senate are too busy cranking up everyone's property taxes to notice

You've got that right, Jason. They're not only pre-occupied with cranking up property taxes, but everything else they can tax as well. This is all being done to finance the extensive network of social programs that they've created. Once they've taken every taxpayers' money and property, then they'll surely focus on that gun law. In the town of Essex, aided by a legislator from Chester, it's already started.

[Jason_W]

Vermont has the right idea - it still recognizes the 2nd Amendment.

-Stretch

Don't give VT too much credit. My theory is that the only reason we still have unregulated carry in VT is that all the Dems in the house and senate are too busy cranking up everyone's property taxes to notice

You've got that right, Jason. They're not only pre-occupied with cranking up property taxes, but everything else they can tax as well. This is all being done to finance the extensive network of social programs that they've created. Once they've taken every taxpayers' money and property, then they'll surely focus on that gun law. In the town of Essex, aided by a legislator from Chester, it's already started.

We're leaving more because of the job situation than anything else. Plus, my wife is originally from Maine and has been wanting to move back for some time now.

[Pepe Ray]

My catch up time - - Does anyone know if jason ever got to Bangor? Did he drop out of Lever Guns? - - He could be a neighbor, but I wouldn't know it.
I've been reading my old posts, trying to figure out if I left anyone hanging in the lurch. - - -

[Pete44ru]

.

Also, AFAIK Maine enacted a permit-less concealed carry law for residents & non-residents over 21 years of age, a couple of years ago (2016 or 2017 - I disremember).

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/co ... dd7ea6c558

.

[gamekeeper]

My catch up time - - Does anyone know if jason ever got to Bangor? Did he drop out of Lever Guns? - - He could be a neighbor, but I wouldn't know it.
I've been reading my old posts, trying to figure out if I left anyone hanging in the lurch. - - -

Jason _W was last on levergunners.com Oct 2011. I don't know what happened to him other than he did move from northern Vermont....

[Ray]

A fellow church congregant needed to drive to maine when a great grandchild was soon expected. He always carries several guns with him on road trips but he was scared that he might somehow lose his guns and or liberty while traveling through antigun areas on the obvious I 95 route.

So he decided to visit some in-laws in pennsylvania and come around from the west....for some reason massachusetts worried him so he thought he could just keep going north in new york and then east through vermont and new hampshire.....

After the trip he complained to anyone who would listen:

"I know they got mountains and such but why ain't they got no roads that run east and west where you need them?"

[Pete44ru]

he thought he could just keep going north in new york and then east through vermont and new hampshire.....

After the trip he complained to anyone who would listen:

"I know they got mountains and such but why ain't they got got no roads that run east and west where you need them?"

Rte 2 is about the onlyest option, there.

Rte 2 in Vermont, where it runs alongside the Mad River, is some wonderful switchback country.


The reason is that when America was 1st settled, the hubs were only Boston & New Amsterdam (N.Y.C.), with the travel corridors extending out from them radially.

Remember, the state of Maine was created by splitting up Massachusetts………….


.