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LD1174 • 2025

An Act to Limit the Liability of Gun Shops That Provide Firearm Hold Agreements

An Act to Limit the Liability of Gun Shops That Provide Firearm Hold Agreements

Firearms
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Stephen Wood
Last action
2025-06-18
Official status
Signed by the Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Limit the Liability of Gun Shops That Provide Firearm Hold Agreements

An Act to Limit the Liability of Gun Shops That Provide Firearm Hold Agreements Sponsor: Representative Stephen Wood Reference committee: Judiciary Governor action: Signed by the Governor

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Limit the Liability of Gun Shops That Provide Firearm Hold Agreements Sponsor: Representative Stephen Wood Reference committee: Judiciary Governor action: Signed by the Governor

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1381(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1381(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1174 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3JUDICIARY 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Clerk of the House.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to H.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-18 Governor

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-06-13 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-06-13 Senate

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED , in concurrence.

  4. 2025-06-11 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

  5. 2025-05-07 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-05-07 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  7. 2025-03-20 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Limit the Liability of Gun Shops That Provide Firearm Hold Agreements
Sponsor:
Representative Stephen Wood
Reference committee:
Judiciary
Governor action:
Signed by the Governor

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Page 1 - 132LR1381(03)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 779 - L.D. 1174
An Act to Limit the Liability of Gun Shops That Provide Firearm Hold
Agreements
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2017 is enacted to read:
§2017. Limitation of liability of holder of firearm hold agreement
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the
following terms have the following meanings.
A. "Firearm" has the same meaning as in Title 17-A, section 2, subsection 12-A.
B. "Firearm hold agreement" means a written agreement between a firearm owner and
another person in which the person at the owner's request takes physical possession of
a lawfully possessed firearm of the owner and holds the firearm for an agreed period
of time.
C. "Gun shop" has the same meaning as in section 2015, subsection 1, paragraph D.
2. Holding firearms for 3rd parties. A gun shop may take possession of a firearm
from a person for safekeeping under the following conditions:
A. The gun shop enters into a firearm hold agreement with the owner of the firearm;
and
B. The gun shop contacts the owner of the firearm every 6 months after taking
possession of the firearm until the firearm is returned to the owner of the firearm.
3. Immunity from liability. An action may not be taken against a gun shop that
entered into a firearm hold agreement for returning the firearm to the owner of the firearm
at the termination of the firearm hold agreement. The immunity provided in this subsection
does not apply to otherwise unlawful conduct of the gun shop returning the firearm to the
owner of the firearm under this section. An action may not be brought against a person for
refusing to enter into a firearm hold agreement with any person.
APPROVED
JUNE 18, 2025
BY GOVERNOR
CHAPTER
357
PUBLIC LAW
Page 2 - 132LR1381(03)
4. Rules. The Department of Public Safety shall adopt rules to carry out the purposes
of this section. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules under Title
5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2. Department of Public Safety to create firearm hold agreement form.
By January 1, 2026, the Department of Public Safety shall create a firearm hold agreement
form to be used by gun shops that hold firearms in accordance with the Maine Revised
Statutes, Title 25, section 2017. The firearm hold agreement form must indicate an
immediate family member or other individual who may lawfully possess a firearm and who
may take possession of the firearm upon proof of the death of the owner of the firearm
during the pendency of the firearm hold agreement.