◆ MAINE · CARRY LAW

Maine.

Another state or territory

Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.

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◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.

Concealed, no permit

Yes

Open, no permit

Yes

In a vehicle, no permit

Yes

Getting a permit

Yes, shall-issue

You must tell an officer you are carrying, before being asked.

◆ CARRYING HERE

What Maine requires

The state's permit is the Permit to Carry a Concealed Handgun, issued by your local issuing authority, or the State Police.

Carrying without a permit3

Can I carry concealed here without a permit?

Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.

Yes

Yes, from 21, or 18 if you are on active duty, in the National Guard, or honorably discharged. But see the duty-to-inform row: carrying without a permit here comes with an obligation carrying WITH one does not.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, § 2001-A(2)(A-1)Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

Can I carry openly here without a permit?

Yes

Yes. Maine’s offense reaches concealed carry and threatening display, not open carry as such.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, § 2001-A(1)Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?

Yes

Yes, from 21, on the same terms as on foot.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, § 2001-A(2)(A-1)Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

Permits and age3

If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?

Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.

Yes, shall-issue

The issuing authority SHALL issue, but the statute also requires “good moral character”, which is a judgment rather than a checklist.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, § 2003(1)Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?

Yes

Yes. Non-residents apply to the State Police rather than to a local authority.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, § 2003Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

How old do I have to be to carry here?

The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.

18 with a permit; 21 without one, unless you are on active duty, in the National Guard, or an honorably discharged veteran.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, §§ 2003(1)(A), 2001-A(2)(A-1)Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

If an officer stops you1

Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?

"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.

Required

Yes, but only if you are carrying WITHOUT a permit. Then you must immediately tell any officer you are carrying, on any arrest, detention or routine traffic stop. Permit holders have no such duty.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, § 2003-ARead at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

Buying and owning2

Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?

Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.

Not required

No permit or license to buy, and no state waiting period.

No purchase-permit provision in Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, ch. 252Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

How we checked there is no such law

Read §§ 2001-A, 2003 and 2003-A on 2026-09-06. Chapter 252 is titled “permits to carry concealed handguns” and creates no permit to acquire.

Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?

No limit

Maine sets no cap on magazine capacity.

No magazine capacity provision in Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, ch. 252Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

How we checked there is no such law

Read §§ 2001-A, 2003 and 2011 on 2026-09-06 and found no capacity limit. § 2011 preempts “the entire field of legislation concerning the regulation of firearms, components, ammunition and supplies”, so a local cap could not fill the gap.

How the state governs guns2

Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?

Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.

No, state law is the only law

The State occupies the entire field. Any local order, ordinance or rule regulating firearms is void.

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 25, § 2011(1), (2)Read at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

Does this state have a red-flag law?

An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.

No, none in this state

Not in the usual sense. Maine has a “yellow flag” law instead: a weapons restriction runs through a medical practitioner’s assessment rather than a direct petition by a family member.

No extreme-risk order in Maine law; cf. Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 34-B, § 3862-ARead at the Maine Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago

How we checked there is no such law

Searched for a Maine extreme-risk order on 2026-09-06. What exists is the “yellow flag” weapons-restriction process in title 34-B, not a family-petition order, and nothing of the latter kind sits alongside it.

◆ RECIPROCITY

Permits Maine honors

If you are visiting Maine, this is whether your permit counts here.

The state's own list ↗

Which state issued your permit?

Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.

Honored54

◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY

Where Maine permits are honored

If you live in Maine, this is where your permit travels.

Where are you traveling with a Maine permit?

Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.

Honored30

Honored, with a condition3

Not honored19

Not settled2

◆ NFA ITEMS

Suppressors and NFA legality

Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.

Can I possess a suppressor here?

Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.

Legal

Lawful with the federal paperwork.