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LD953 • 2025

An Act to Change the Definition of "Machine Gun" in the Maine Criminal Code

An Act to Change the Definition of "Machine Gun" in the Maine Criminal Code

Firearms
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Senator David Haggan
Last action
2025-06-17
Official status
Taken from the table by the President On motion by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland Bill and accompanying papers INDEFINITELY POSTPONED PREVAILED. Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 569 Yeas 19 - Nays 15 - Excused 1 - Absent 0 Sent down for concurrence
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 Change the Definition of "Machine Gun" in the Maine Criminal Code

An Act to Change the Definition of "Machine Gun" in the Maine Criminal Code Sponsor: Senator David Haggan Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; OTP/ONTP/OTP-AM

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Change the Definition of "Machine Gun" in the Maine Criminal Code Sponsor: Senator David Haggan Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; OTP/ONTP/OTP-AM

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.

Filed

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1375(03) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1375(03) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 953 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • S- ) 3JUDICIARY 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6SENATE 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to S.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-17 House

    Reports READ . On motion of Representative KUHN of Falmouth, REPORT B Ought Not to Pass was ACCEPTED . ROLL CALL NO. 547 (Yeas 76 - Nays 71 - Absent 2 - Excused 2) ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. Placed in the Legislative Files. ( DEAD )

  2. 2025-06-16 Senate

    Taken from the table by the President On motion by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland Bill and accompanying papers INDEFINITELY POSTPONED PREVAILED. Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 569 Yeas 19 - Nays 15 - Excused 1 - Absent 0 Sent down for concurrence

  3. 2025-06-11 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP/ONTP/OTP-AM

  4. 2025-05-07 Committee

    Work Session Held

  5. 2025-05-07 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  6. 2025-04-03 Committee

    Work Session Held; TABLED

  7. 2025-03-06 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Change the Definition of "Machine Gun" in the Maine Criminal Code
Sponsor:
Senator David Haggan
Reference committee:
Judiciary
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; OTP/ONTP/OTP-AM

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 953
S.P. 409 In Senate, March 11, 2025
An Act to Change the Definition of "Machine Gun" in the Maine
Criminal Code
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on March 6, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Judiciary pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HAGGAN of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Representative PERKINS of Dover-Foxcroft and
Senator: HARRINGTON of York, Representatives: ARDELL of Monticello, HENDERSON of
Rumford, MORRIS of Turner, POIRIER of Skowhegan, WHITE of Guilford.

Page 1 - 132LR1375(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §1051, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1975, c. 499, §1, is amended
3 to read:
42. As used in this chapter, "machine gun" means a weapon of any description, by
5 whatever name known, loaded or unloaded, which is capable of discharging a number of
6 projectiles in rapid succession by one manual or mechanical action on the trigger or firing
7 mechanism. that shoots, is designed to shoot or can be readily restored to shoot
8 automatically more than one shot by a single function of the trigger without manually
9 reloading. "Machine gun" includes:
10 A. The frame or receiver of a weapon described in this subsection. For purposes of
11 this paragraph, "frame" means the housing of a firearm that surrounds the receiver and
12 "receiver" means the rotor, bolts and firing mechanism of a firearm;
13 B. A part or combination of parts designed and intended solely to convert a weapon
14 into a weapon described in this subsection; or
15 C. Any combination of parts, if the parts are collected together in one group, from
16 which a weapon described in this subsection can be assembled.
17SUMMARY
18 This bill redefines "machine gun" for provisions of the Maine Criminal Code governing
19 offenses involving weapons. The new definition describes a weapon that shoots
20 automatically more than one shot and includes parts of a machine gun or a combination of
21 parts from which a machine gun could be assembled.
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