Gun safety coalition launches campaign to get a red flag law on the Maine ballot

The News Guy

2 months ago

Gun safety advocates in Maine have launched a signature-gathering effort to try and get a red flag law on the ballot after legislative efforts came up short in the wake of the Lewiston mass shooting.

The Maine Gun Safety Coalition and allies announced their campaign Thursday. It follows the mass shooting in October 2023 that left 18 people dead and the release of a report by a state commission last month that found law enforcement could have done more to remove the shooter’s weapons.

Lawmakers last spring considered adopting a red flag law, which would give family members, in addition to police, a path toward restricting access to weapons for a person in crisis without a mental health evaluation. The proposal made it out of committee but was never voted on by the full House or Senate.

“In the aftermath of last year’s tragedy in Lewiston, people in communities across Maine have asked what could have been done differently,” said Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, in a statement. “The Lewiston report laid bare the inadequacies of the half-measure lawmakers passed in 2019. The commission did its part, and now the rest is up to us. It’s time to protect Maine’s schools and communities with an extreme risk protection order law.

Lawmakers in 2019 passed Maine’s existing yellow flag law, which requires law enforcement to take someone into protective custody and have a mental health evaluation done before a court can sign off on an order restricting their access to weapons because they pose a threat to themselves or someone else.

Red flag proposals generally don’t require a mental health evaluation, but family members or police must submit a petition and an affidavit detailing their concerns about the person’s access to weapons.

This story will be updated.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Common Ground Fair, a murder mystery, salsa dancing and more to do this weekend