Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2001, sub-§6, as amended by PL 2001, c. 459, §1, is further amended to read:

6. Licensed hunters and trappers. Firearms carried by any person engaged in conduct for which a state-issued hunting or trapping license is required and possessing the required license, or firearms carried by a resident person engaged in conduct expressly authorized by Title 12, section 7377, subsections 1 and 2. This subsection does not authorize or permit the carrying of a concealed or loaded firearm in a motor vehicle; and

Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2001, sub-§7, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 459, §2, is amended to read:

B. The other state that issued the permit to carry a concealed firearm observes the same rules of reciprocity in regards to a person issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm under this chapter.; and

Sec. 3. 25 MRSA §2001, sub-§8 is enacted to read:

8.__Victims of domestic violence.__A firearm carried by a person who has been the victim of a crime of domestic violence, as long as that person has completed, and possesses written proof of successful completion of, a course that included handgun safety offered by or under the supervision of a federal, state, county or municipal law enforcement agency or a firearms instructor certified by a private firearms association recognized as knowledgeable in matters of firearms safety by the issuing authority or by the state in which the course was taken.__A course completion certificate or other document, or a photocopy of the certificate, is sufficient as proof of successful completion if it states or otherwise demonstrates that the course met all of the requirements of this subsection.__This subsection does not apply to a person who has been convicted of murder or a Class A, B or C crime in this State or a crime that is considered a felony in another state.

SUMMARY

This bill allows a person who has been the victim of a crime of domestic violence to carry a concealed firearm without obtaining a permit. The person must carry proof of successful completion of a handgun safety course. A person convicted of a felony, i.e., murder or a Class A, B or C crime in this State, is not eligible.