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going to maine

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bobcat3869

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Maybe. A stupid question but here goes....im heading to Maine for work next week and was wondering if i can bring some guns to shoot? I know i cant carry but can i bring them in a secure case? Im working in a very remote area and other guys had their guns last year at the same job. I just want to know if its ok? Sorry if its a newbie question
 
Unless you have an out of state pistol permit, you can only bring up your long guns. If you know of a Maine resident with a permit, he can take possession of your handguns at the border and bring them up.

I don't think guns need to be locked in Maine, but someone else will chime in on that.


That means without an out of state permit, your not going to be able to carry anything. But there's only 5 cops in all of Maine to catch you.

psych that's vice versa. It's for people coming into MA
 
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POSSESSION

No permit is required to possess a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.
...
CARRYING

It is unlawful to carry any firearm concealed about the person without having a concealed carrying permit. This includes carrying in an automobile glove compartment, or other area where the firearm is under the person^s control. It is not unlawful to carry a firearm openly.


SOURCES: Maine Code Title 12, Sections 11102, 11208, 11209, 11212, 11214, 13201; Title 15, Sections 455; 455-A; Title 17-A, Sections 1051, 1052, 1057; 2001-2006 2011; 2012
Click to expand...

See it all at http://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-laws/maine.aspx
 
What Cooter said... I have a place up there and bring my long guns and pistols from Ma up there all the time. Just toss them in the trunk unloaded. Once your outside of your car, toss your pistol on your hip(open carry only) and enjoy FREEDOM [smile]
 
Ok ok guys lets not fight lol....i thank you all gor your input it is much appreciated. Looks like im going to get to do some shooting :)
 
alseneet said:
Dont open carry in Portland, they will disarm you. Also no carry; open or concealed in Augusta.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make any sense...I can see not open carrying in Portland or parts of Augusta to avoid unwanted police attention, but why do you say not to carry concealed in Augusta? It's not illegal if you have a res/non-res permit, and besides concealed is concealed.
 
Portland is aware of open carry so you might not be hassled. Augusta is the capital of Maine. There are special rules for the capital area.

There was a shooting recently in Portland. I would expect LEO interaction if you open carry.
 
pc.geek said:
Portland is aware of open carry so you might not be hassled. Augusta is the capital of Maine. There are special rules for the capital area.

There was a shooting recently in Portland. I would expect LEO interaction if you open carry.
Click to expand...

Could you go into these special rules? These are the ones I found:


2 F. No person, except a police officer on duty, shall carry firearms, dangerous weapons, explosives, incendiary devices, or implements which by their nature are capable of being used to destroy or injure a person or property in the Capitol Area.
1. Definitions as used to describe Capitol Area.
The following words and phrases, when used in these regulations, shall have the following meanings, unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:
A. "Capitol Area" when used in these regulations shall mean the land, building, personal property and facilities owned, leased, occupied, used or possessed by the State in or at:
(1) The Capitol Area described in I M.R.S.A., Section 814, and
(2) The District Court Building on State Street, and
(3) The State Police Barracks and Garage on Hospital Street, and
(4) Blaine House Complex, and
(5) Blaine Memorial, and
(6) The Augusta Mental Health Institute Complex, and
(7) Any Other State Controlled Locations, Whether Its Owned, Leased, Or Just Used By The State Within The City Limits Of Augusta, Maine.
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Much different then the "don't carry in Augusta" as stated earlier in the thread. Other than that, Augusta probably has a "firearm ordinance" in place like Lewiston, which is basically a law about shooting beer cans on your back porch.
 
I've been up there quite a bit recently, looked into all the laws beforehand and all you need to do in a vehicle is have everything unloaded and in plain view. Unloaded means no mag inserted even if there's not one in the pipe. Loaded, open carry as a pedestrian is OK. No locks required.

We're talking about a state who's makes a living off catering to hunters.
 
I've been open carrying a pistol in Maine when we go to our rural land up there. What exactly defines "open" though? It is on a holster outside my belt, but what happens if I put a jacket or hunting vest on that is unzipped and may obscure the gun depending on where the fabric fall? I'm trying to figure out how to open carry when its cold. And, does it actually matter? I thought the open carry requirement was only when you're on public property... this land is all private (mine and the neighbors I know). The town has 0 police.
 
In Maine you are much more likely to be jammed up by an obnoxious game warden than a cop for anything related to firearms or hunting. GWs have a tendency to write tickets for everything under the sun and there are scenarios where I can imagine them trying to tie your open carry to hunting.
 
Prepper said:
I've been open carrying a pistol in Maine when we go to our rural land up there. What exactly defines "open" though? It is on a holster outside my belt, but what happens if I put a jacket or hunting vest on that is unzipped and may obscure the gun depending on where the fabric fall? I'm trying to figure out how to open carry when its cold. And, does it actually matter? I thought the open carry requirement was only when you're on public property... this land is all private (mine and the neighbors I know). The town has 0 police.
Click to expand...

Open carry is open carry. If anything covers the gun (like a coat, shirt, vest, etc), it is no longer open carry. It works the same way here in NH.
 
That Guy said:
In Maine you are much more likely to be jammed up by an obnoxious game warden than a cop for anything related to firearms or hunting. GWs have a tendency to write tickets for everything under the sun and there are scenarios where I can imagine them trying to tie your open carry to hunting.
Click to expand...

Do the game wardens ever venture into people's private property? I realize that even on private property there are still permits that must be bought for what you want to hunt. But, if I ever found one on my own land when I was minding my own business just open carrying and not hunting, can I tell them to go screw?

I've heard of problems with the game wardens but I've never actually seen one in the town. So, this is mainly hypothetical for me. I'd be a bit surprised if one of then got around a locked gate then ventured several miles down the logging roads.
 
Game wardens in Maine have about ten times the power of police. They don't need a reason to stop you and they can search your entire car whenever they feel like it - I've seen it done many times. They ask if you have any fish, you say yes and show them the cooler, they will measure each fish, etc. THen they will search the rest of your vehicle including other coolers, etc.

As far as being on your private property, yes, they can and will do that too. And, of course, if during one of their stops for "fish and game violations" they happen to find something else against the law - weed, open containers, etc - that is all admissible in court.

Who in the hell thought this was an ok idea to give any LE this much power to just simply ignore all Constitutional rights is beyond me.
 
Egads, that really sucks. Is that just a "Maine thing"? It seems kind of excessive just to get a chance at possibly catching illegal hunting. I bought remote rural land just so that people will leave me alone... don't need no busy body LE type coming up there to me to see what I'm doing. There's lots of hunting up there, and everyone knows it, so its not entirely unlikely they'd attempt to see what's going on up there someday and run into me.

Speaking of open carry again, is open carry while sitting on an ATV okay? I'm wondering how I'm supposed to drive an ATV around my land and the private neighboring land if someone considers this a vehicle? It'd be really annoying to put it away every time I get back on the ATV. The locals drive around on an ATV with a shotgun or rifle placed across the front of the ATV... I didn't think to ask about the details of that and how to make sure it is legal. And one neighbor has a holstered Contender pistol that he uses for grouse hunting... just drives around, sees grouse, shoots. Can anyone give me a summary of the legal details of all this?
 
Prepper said:
What exactly defines "open" though?

...I thought the open carry requirement was only when you're on public property...
Click to expand...

Open carry in Maine simply means some part of the gun is showing. I would 4oClock iwb with a tucked shirt... 100% legal.

Correct, concealed carry only needs a license if operating on public property. In Maine, private property is just that... Private.

If you are not a resident, you can't legally open carry in a vehicle but an ATV is only considered a vehicle if it is registered, which is required to operate on public roadways.

But just to be safe, run it by the local PD, 99% of them are decent guys and would not have any issue with it.
 
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Prepper said:
Egads, that really sucks. Is that just a "Maine thing"? It seems kind of excessive just to get a chance at possibly catching illegal hunting. I bought remote rural land just so that people will leave me alone... don't need no busy body LE type coming up there to me to see what I'm doing. There's lots of hunting up there, and everyone knows it, so its not entirely unlikely they'd attempt to see what's going on up there someday and run into me.

Speaking of open carry again, is open carry while sitting on an ATV okay? I'm wondering how I'm supposed to drive an ATV around my land and the private neighboring land if someone considers this a vehicle? It'd be really annoying to put it away every time I get back on the ATV. The locals drive around on an ATV with a shotgun or rifle placed across the front of the ATV... I didn't think to ask about the details of that and how to make sure it is legal. And one neighbor has a holstered Contender pistol that he uses for grouse hunting... just drives around, sees grouse, shoots. Can anyone give me a summary of the legal details of all this?
Click to expand...

Your neighbor is going to get in trouble if a Warden sees him doing that. Unless you get permission because of a physical handicap, you can't fire at game from any vehicle. There wouldn't be any Partridge left if you could.
You can drive around on an ATV with a shotgun, rifle, etc., but it needs to be unloaded because they call that prima facie evidence of hunting.

The best advice is to run into the local game Warden at the coffee shop or hardware store and introduce yourself. Tell him what piece of land you own and ask him the legalities of what you want to do (riding around loaded on ATV, walking, whatever). Every one I've ever known has been a really nice guy unless you are a poacher or drunk on a sled. In those cases, they are going to do everything in their power to F you over, which I generally agree with, by the way.
 

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