Updates on Legislation: What You Can Do
In the last week we have seen 72-Hour Waiting Periods, forfeiture/destruction of State Seized Firearms with a sneaky amendment to outlaw bump stocks and binary triggers among other things, as well as modifications to our current "Yellow Flag" law and what amounts to Universal Background Checks pass through the House and Senate, and await action by Governor Mills.
The best thing you can do right now is contact Governor Mills' office and ask her to veto these pieces of legislation (see below for how to do this). The House nor the Senate have the numbers to override a veto.
Despite the fact that her bill was heavily modified in committee and passed as an amended version, the chances of Governor Mills vetoing her own bill are slim. Yes, we would like to see the expansion of background checks defeated with a veto, but it is unlikely.
The Speaker's Red Flag bill never made it to the House or Senate for a vote. We feel strongly this is because it came out of committee with four reports, there was no consensus among anti-gun legislators, and would have been a bad talking point for them as we head into November's Election. This is a huge win for the pro-rights community, and is a thorn in the side of those seeking to strip us of those rights.
72-Hour Waiting Periods passed both the House and the Senate, falsely labeled as a "Suicide Prevention" Bill. There were some excellent floor speeches by pro-gun legislators that I would strongly recommend you take a moment to listen to if able (two that are easily found are below, if you are able to listen to the whole discussion, there are so much more-if you need help navigating this just ask!). We are frustrated daily by the lack of majority representation in Augusta, but there are legislators that have fought along side us with what amounts to nothing short of awe-inspiring. Waiting periods, aside from being completely unconstitutional, make people defenseless, harm our economy, and will decimate gun shows and small business owners in our state.
Rep. Rachel Henderson on Waiting Periods
Rep. Katrina Smith on Waiting Periods
Destruction of firearms and alterations in the definition of Machine Gun to include commonly owned semi-automatic firearms modifications is not only a waste of perfectly good firearms, it is a stepping stone to a ban on "assault" weapons. This amendment brought to light the fact that Maine's current statute surrounding the definition of a Machine Gun (as assessed by attorneys specializing in firearms) could be construed to include shotguns/buckshot/snake shot. Yes, this law has been on the books for decades, but it is out of step with federal law and frankly, "intentions" of politicians who seek to remove firearms from the hands of law-abiding citizens is not something we trust. This definition needs to be amended and we will be seeking to do so next session.
CONTACT THE GOVERNOR:
Please reach out to Governor Mills online, by phone (207-287-3531) or using a resource such as the NRA's easy to use form and encourage her to veto these bills. Don't hesitate to use all three methods! While we would never intend to tell our members how to communicate with our lawmakers, we would strongly encourage your communications to be respectful.
