Maine residents holding a Maine Concealed Handgun Permit will now also be able to carry a handgun in the State of Florida, as a result of legislation passed in 2015 with the support of Gun Owners of Maine.
LD 868, sponsored by Maine Sen. Paul Davis, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Representatives with a vote of 98-43, and unanimously passed the Senate. The bill established a simple and fair rule for Maine’s recognition of other state’s concealed weapons permits: If another state recognizes Maine’s permit, Maine will recognize theirs. This replaced the old system in which the Chief of the State Police was able to enter into formal reciprocity agreements with other states, provided those states met or exceeded Maine’s permit requirements.
Gun Owners of Maine strongly supported this common-sense legislation in order to remove impediments to recognition of Maine’s gun permits throughout the nation. Maine’s new law will encourage other states to recognize Maine’s permit, and gain Maine’s recognition in return, enhancing the gun rights of both the citizens of those states as well as Mainers.
