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An Act To Clarify Safety Requirements in Acadia National Park
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §756  is enacted to read:
§ 756. National parks
 
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 section 10001, subsection 21.
 
B.  "Residential dwelling" means a fixed housing structure that either is the principal residence of its occupants or is occupied on a regular and recurring basis by its occupants as an alternate residence or vacation home.
 
2.  Possession of firearms.   A person may not possess a firearm in any unit of the United States National Park System located in the State except:
 
A.  Within a residential dwelling;
 
B.  To the extent the firearm is used in connection with hunting when and where authorized by state or federal law;
 
C.  Within a mechanical mode of conveyance as long as the firearm is rendered temporarily inoperable or is packed, cased or stored in a manner that prevents its ready use; or
 
D.  When the firearm is carried by an authorized federal, state or local law enforcement officer in the performance of the officer's official duties.
Sec. 2. Maine Revised Statutes headnote amended; revision clause. In the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, chapter 209, in the chapter headnote, the words "national forests" are amended to read "national forests and parks" and the Revisor of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or republishing the statutes.
 
SUMMARY
The federal Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, Public Law 111-24, Section 512 protects the states' right to set policy regarding the possession of firearms in units of the United States National Park System located within their borders. This bill promotes public safety and the preservation of wildlife and maintains consistency with the State's laws governing the possession of firearms in state parks by prohibiting, subject to certain exceptions, the possession of firearms in all units of the United States National Park System within the State.