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An Act To Increase the Penalties for Possessing and Displaying a Firearm on School Property
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §6552, as amended by PL 2009, c. 614, §§2 and 3, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
§ 6552. Firearms
 
1.  Prohibition.     A person may not:
 
A.  Possess a firearm on public school property or the property of an approved private school;
 
B.  Display a firearm on public school property or the property of an approved private school; or
 
C.  Discharge a firearm within 500 feet of public school property or the property of an approved private school.
 
2.  Exceptions.     The provisions under subsection 1 do not apply to the following.
 
A.  The prohibition on the possession, display and discharge of a firearm does not apply to law enforcement officials.
 
B.  The prohibition on the possession and display of a firearm does not apply to the following persons, if the possession and display is authorized by a written policy adopted by the school board:
 
(1) A person who possesses and displays an unloaded firearm for use in a supervised educational program approved and authorized by the school board and for which the school board has adopted appropriate safeguards to ensure student safety; and
 
(2) A person who possesses or possesses and displays an unloaded firearm that is stored inside a locked vehicle in a closed container, a zipped case or a locked firearms rack while the person is attending a hunter's breakfast or similar event that:
 
(a) Is held during an open firearm season established under Title 12, Part 13 for any species of wild bird or wild animal;
 
(b) Takes place outside of regular school hours; and
 
(c) Is authorized by the school board.
 
C.  The prohibition on possession, display and discharge of a firearm does not apply to a person possessing a firearm at a school-operated gun range or a person discharging a firearm as part of a school-sanctioned program at a school-operated gun range if the gun range and the program are authorized by a written policy adopted by the school's governing body.
 
3.  Penalty.     This subsection applies to violations of subsection 1.
 
A.  A person who violates subsection 1, paragraph A commits a Class C crime.
 
B.  A person who violates subsection 1, paragraph B commits a Class B crime.
 
C.  A person who violates subsection 1, paragraph C commits a Class E crime.
 
SUMMARY
This bill increases the offense of possessing a firearm on public school property or the property of an approved private school from a Class E crime to a Class C crime and provides that the offense of displaying a firearm on public school property or the property of an approved private school is a Class B crime.