After a nearly 24-hour marathon floor session, the Maine House and Senate finally adjourned until “Veto Day” in the coming weeks. Over the past several months, NRA members have tirelessly fought against Michael Bloomberg and his political apparatus never-ending calls for extreme gun control in the Pine Tree State. At the close of session, gun rights activists have already secured major victories, while Bloomberg and his teams of lobbyists in Augusta are left limping into the final stages of the legislative process.
As it stands, NRA members and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers have already dealt major blows to the progressive pipe dream of California-style gun control in Maine. The ability to launch frivolous lawsuits against firearm manufacturers and retailers was stopped in its tracks. Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross’ extreme Red Flag was never even able to reach the floor for a House vote. Defeating these two radical bills mark major victories for law-abiding gun owners in Maine.
While these bills have been defeated, our work is far from over. LD 2238 (72 hour waiting periods) and LD 2086 (machine gun redefinition), pushed by Senate President Troy Jackson, a once proud supporter of the Second Amendment turned gun grabbing extremist, were able to narrowly pass both chambers by only ONE vote. Additionally, LD 2224 (The Governor’s package on “yellow flag” and expanded background checks) was passed earlier in the week. All three bills will now be transmitted to the Governor. NRA members and gun rights supporters are urged to contact Governor Janet Mills and request that she vetoes these extreme gun control bills.
LD 2238 delays Second Amendment rights by imposing a three-day waiting period before an individual may receive a firearm that they lawfully purchase, with limited exemptions. There is no evidence that waiting periods reduce violent crime. If passed, LD 2238 would deny the right of self-defense to abuse victims or any individual facing an imminent threat. Additionally, waiting periods would destroy Maine’s hunting tourism industry because guides would be unable to provide hunters with firearms and local firearm dealers would be unable to sell and transfer firearms in a timely manner.
LD 2086, introduced by leading gun-grabbing politician Sen. Anne Carney, creates a backdoor ban on commonly owned firearms and firearm parts by redefining a “machine gun” to include any semi-automatic firearm that includes parts that can “increase the rate of fire.” This poorly written bill attempts to sneak a so-called “rapid-fire modification ban” past Mainers in a bill completely unrelated to firearm parts. As written, this bill would ban legally and commonly owned firearm parts used for training, hunting, or self-defense, and could be utilized to ban shotguns and other firearms capable of firing birdshot or snake shot.
LD 2224 seeks to make administrative changes to Maine’s Yellow Flag law and impose background checks on all published advertised sales of firearms.
