Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Domestic Violence & Firearms in Maine.’ Who Can Have a Gun. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 19 April
Relevant contents
Domestic Violence and Firearms in Maine
Maine law does not:
- Prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from possessing firearms or ammunition, although federal law applies;
- Require courts to notify domestic abusers when they become prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law;
- Require the surrender of firearms or ammunition by domestic abusers who have become prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law; or
- Explicitly authorize or require the removal of firearms or ammunition at the scene of a domestic violence incident.
Firearm Prohibitions for Persons Subject to Domestic Violence Protective Orders
Like federal law, Maine law prohibits anyone from possessing a firearm if he or she is subject to a court order that restrains him or her from harassing, stalking or threatening his or her intimate partner or that partner's child, or from engaging in other conduct that would place the intimate partner in reasonable fear of bodily injury to the intimate partner or the partner's child. This provision applies only to a court order issued after a hearing that:
- Includes a finding that the person represents a credible threat to the physical safety of an intimate partner or child; or
- By its terms explicitly prohibits the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against an intimate partner or a child that would reasonably be expected to cause bodily injury.
Reporting of Domestic Violence Information
In Maine, law enforcement reports of domestic abuse must be made available for inspection by and dissemination to local agencies responsible for issuing concealed handgun permits, provided the records are necessary to the agencies' determination of an applicant's good moral character and compliance with the requirements related to such permits.2 No similar law addresses the availability of this information for use in firearm purchaser background checks…
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]