An Act To Expand Reciprocity by Allowing Certain Nonresidents To Possess a Firearm in Maine

Sec. 1. 15 MRSA §393, sub-§2-A  is enacted to read:

SUMMARY

Current law prohibits the possession of a firearm in Maine by a nonresident who has been convicted of a crime in another state punishable in that state by imprisonment for more than one year or of a crime classified by that state as a misdemeanor punishable by a term of more than 2 years. A resident of Maine who has been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for one year or more may apply for a permit to carry a firearm 5 years after the disposition of the sentence for that crime. However, unless a nonresident convicted of a crime receives a full and unconditional pardon of that conviction, that nonresident may never receive a permit to carry a firearm in Maine.

This bill specifies that a nonresident convicted of a crime in another state may legally possess a firearm in Maine if the nonresident is allowed to legally possess a firearm in the state where the conviction occurred.