How To Own and Carry A Gun In Maine

By Amber Lauze
The Dilemma:
Have you ever walked into a Walmart or Cumberland Farms and seen a person carrying a
gun in a holster? Have you ever held a gun yourself or even shot one? Do you know the laws
about owning a gun or how to properly handle one?
According to the Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence, from 2005-2010 3,800 people died
of unintentional shootings in the U.S.. 8% of these deaths were of kids 6 years and under.
Also, the 2010 United States Census reported that there were 11 gun deaths in Maine that
year. Throughout the country 73,505 non fatal gunshot wounds and 31,076 gun deaths were
reported. These numbers could easily be reduced with proper safety and edict.
When a gun is not properly cleaned and oiled on a regular basis it can cause the gun to
have a malfunction which can lead to permanent damage to the firearm or to the user. In
Team Valiant 19 out of 25 8th graders did not know how often to clean a firearm and 11 out of
25 people do not know the state or even national laws on gun carrying. Steven Dyer, a NRA
instructor and criminal justice teacher at Thomas Collage said this, "Education about firearms
should be in every home that has a gun, people should not be scared
but cautious."

NRA logo pin

The Elucidation:
1.) Before you even buy a gun, do some research and
learn about your state and federal laws. Learn about the
different caliber handguns and choose one that's right for
you. If you do not like much recoil on your gun, you would
want to go with a smaller caliber.
2.) Take your new gun to the range to adjust the sights
and fine tune any problems it may have. As a rule of thumb,
you want to put a thousand rounds through it to fully break it
in.
3.) After your range time is over, or after the gun is fired,
you want to make sure to clean and oil it well. If the gun is in
storage and you are not using it, you will to clean and oil it
every six months.

Handgun caliber chart

4.) If you keep the gun in the house you will want to make sure that you always keep it locked away.
Keep it in a location that is easy to access but out of sight from others. Remove the loaded magazine
from the gun and make sure there is not a round in the chamber.
5.) If there are children in the home, you should teach them basic gun etiquette. Ex: Never point
the gun at something you are not willing to destroy. Never handle a gun when an adult is not around.

"It ain't gun control we need; it's sin control.

Si Robertson, past military and current duck commander.

Handling a firearm:
There are two main ways to point a gun. Weaver and isosceles. Weaver was taught to police forces
and is where you have one straight arm and one arm that is bent. Isosceles stance is when both arms
are strait and your knees are bent. Isosceles stance gives you more mobility and ability to shoot if
injured.

Weaver

Isosceles

Auxiliary:
The main people who own firearms have them for self/home defense, followed by sport shooting, and
finally for hunting.
In order to get a concealed carry permit, you need to go through a class. In some states, you need to
go with an instructor to a gun range and get some range time.
Expert Steven Dyer recommends going to classes that work with 'SIRT' guns, which teaches a person
to have trigger control before dealing with the deadly firearm.
Some suggested reading material is 'Handguns Magazine' or 'Guns & Ammo Magazine'

Handguns Magazine

Guns and Ammo Magazine

Maine Gun Laws:

You do not need a permit to buy a rifle or shotgun
You do not need to register your rifle or shotgun
You do not need a permit to carry a rifle or shotgun
You do not need a permit to buy a handgun
Sale of air rifles, ammunition for firearms, gun powder, or smokeless powder to somone under the
age of 16 is illegal
It is illegal to conceal a a firearm on your person without a concealed carry permit. (In order to obtain
one you must go through a class and depending on the state, range time. You must be 18 years or
older)
It is legal for someone over the age of 18 to carry a gun on their person as long as it is not concealed
or in an establishment where alcohol is the main thing sold or there is a sign saying no firearms
permitted.
It is illegal to have a loaded firearm of any sort in your motor vehicle or anything being pulled by the
motor vehicle without a concealed carry permit.

Interesting Facts:

The city of Kennesaw, Georgia has a law that every head of household must own a gun.

In Arizona, it is illegal to carry nunchucks, but legal to carry a gun.

In the early 1900s, a famous Texas ranger owned a set of revolvers without triggers.

In Mexico, there is only one legally operating gun shop

Triggerless Revolver

Sources:
Horman, Gil B. "How To Clean Your Handgun." G&A Basics. N.p., 2 Oct. 2012. Web.
"| Maine State Profile." NRA-ILA. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
"Statistics on Gun Deaths & Injuries." Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence RSS. N.p., 16 Nov. 2012.
Web. 29 May 2015
"Interview with Steven Dyer." Telephone interview. 25 May 2015.
Lauz, Amber J. Survey of class. 27 May 2015. Raw data. Bruce M Whittier Middle School, Poland.