An Act To Align the Duties of School Boards Concerning Student Safety with the Requirements of the Federal Gun-Free Schools Act and To Prohibit the Discharge of Firearms within 500 Feet of Public and Private School Properties
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1705
Committee Amendment CA_A_H769 (House)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §6552

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,,~ " to H.P. 1206, L.D. 1705, Bill, "An Act To 
Align the Duties of School Boards Concerning Student Safety with the Requirements of 
the Federal Gun-Free Schools Act and To Prohibit the Discharge of Firearms within 500 
Feet of Public and Private School Properties" 
Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 9-A in paragraph B in subparagraph (1) in 
the last line (page 1, line 19 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "district" and inserting 
in its place the following: 
'~school board and for which the school board has 
adopted appropriate safeguards to ensure student safety' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 2 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §6552, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2007, c. 67, § 1, is fUliher 
amended to read: 
1. Prohibition. A person may not possess a firearm on public school property or the 
property of an approved private school or discharge a firearm within 500 feet of public 
school property or the property of an approved private school. For purposes of this 
subsection, public sohool property includes property of a community oollege that adopts a 
policy imposing such a prohibition. 
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §6552, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1981, c. 693, §§ 5 and 8, is 
repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
2. Exceptions. The provisions under subsection 1 do not apply to the following. 
A. The prohibition on the possession and discharge of a firearm does not apply to 
law enforcement officials. 
B. The prohibition on the possession of a firearm does not apply to the following 
persons, if the possession is authorized by a written policy adopted by the school 
board: 
(I) A person who possesses an unloaded firearm for use in a supervised 
educational program approved and authorized by the school board and for which 
the school board has adopted appropriate safeguards to ensure student safety; and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
I 
COMMITfEE AMENDMENT" r", to H.P. 1206, L.D. 1705 
(2) A person who possesses an unloaded firearm that is stored inside a locked 
vehicle in a closed container, a zipped case or a locked firearms rack while the 
person is attending a hunter's breakfast or similar event that: 
(a) Is held during an open firearm season established under Title 12, Part 13 
for any species ofwiId bird or wild animal; 
eb) Takes place outside of regular school hours; and 
ec) Is authorized by the school board.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment clarifies the provision in current law that permits a school board to 
offer instructional activities related to firearms or allow firearms to be brought on school 
property for instructional purposes by requiring that the school board has adopted 
appropriate safeguards to ensure student safety. 
The amendment makes the following changes to the school safety provisions in 
current law that prohibit the possession of firearms on school property and the discharge 
of firearms within 500 feet of school property. 
1. It clarifies that the prohibitions on the possession of a firearm and on the discharge 
of a firearm apply to both public school property and to the school property of approved 
private schools under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 117. 
2. 
It provides an exception to the prohibition on possessing firearms on school 
property for a person who possesses an unloaded firearm that is stored inside a locked 
vehicle in a closed container, a zipped case or a locked firearms rack while the person is 
attending a hunter's breakfast or similar event that is held during a legal open firearm 
season and when the event is held outside of regular school hours and is authorized by the 
school board. 
3. It eliminates the inclusion of school property of a community college from the 
prohibitions because the provisions of Title 20-A, section 10009 provide the Maine 
Community College System with the power to regulate the possession of firearms on 
community college property. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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Revised: 03/17110 Mac:.. 
LD 1705 
LR2403(02) 
All Act To Align the Duties of School Boards Concerning Student Safety with the Requirements of the 
Federal Gun-Free Schools Act and To Prohibit the Discharge of Firearms within 500 Feet of Public 
and Private School Properties 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'fJr' 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Local government costs not a mandate 
Fiscal Detail ami Notes 
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Additional costs to local school administrative units to adopt a policy for expelling a student who is determined to 
have possessed a firearm at school are not expected to be significant. Pursuant to Title 30-A, §5685, requirements to 
local units of government to comply with federal law or regulation are not state mandates. 
LR2403(02) - Fiscal Note - Page I of 1