U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of Maine’s gun sale waiting period
Maine's 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases will remain in effect, at least for now, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in a long-running legal battle over the law.
The justices on Monday refused to hear an appeal from gun owners and firearms dealers who challenged the requirement that buyers wait three days after purchasing a gun before taking possession of it. The court offered no explanation for its decision, which is customary when it declines to take up a case.
The move leaves intact a ruling from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which concluded in April that the waiting period is likely constitutional. That decision cleared the way for Maine to begin enforcing the law while the underlying lawsuit continues in federal court.
The law was adopted in 2024, roughly six months after a gunman killed 18 people in Lewiston in the deadliest mass shooting in state history. Maine lawmakers designed the measure as a "cooling-off" period intended to reduce suicides and homicides driven by impulsive firearm purchases. It went into effect without the signature of Gov. Janet Mills, who faced competing pressure from gun rights advocates and public safety groups as she weighed the legislation.
Under the statute, anyone who buys a firearm in Maine must wait 72 hours before taking it home.
The legal challenge was brought by a group that includes Andrea Beckwith, who teaches self-defense classes to survivors of domestic violence; state Rep. James White, owner of J. White Gunsmithing; a firearms training business; and several other gun dealers and owners. The plaintiffs argued that the waiting period leaves domestic violence victims vulnerable by delaying their ability to arm themselves for protection, and that the requirement inflicts financial harm on firearms retailers.
A federal judge initially blocked the law in February 2025, issuing a preliminary injunction that paused enforcement. A federal appeals court kept that hold in place through the spring while the state appealed. But in April, the 1st Circuit determined that the challengers were unlikely to prevail on their constitutional arguments and lifted the injunction.
Monday's Supreme Court action means the law stays on the books as the case proceeds.
Supporters of the waiting period welcomed the decision. Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, said in a written statement that reporting from the Department of Public Safety shows the law has already prevented gun deaths in the state. "Despite the gun lobby's best efforts, our waiting period law will continue to save lives and we expect and hope that it will continue to be upheld," Palmer said.
The Office of Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, who is named as the defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment on Monday. Gun Owners of Maine, a Second Amendment group that has opposed the waiting period, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit remains active in federal court.
