NEWS

Last week on Wednesday, January 17^th the work session was held with regard to LD 1696, a bill sponsored by Representative Millett of Cape Elizabeth designed to make it illegal to sell illegal firearms and provide a path for the Attorney General or other interested parties to sue in certain cases.

It originally started as “"An Act to Create a Civil Cause of Action for Persons Suffering Damages Arising from the Sale of Abnormally Dangerous Firearms" but was amended to read "An Act to Establish Civil Liability for the Illegal Sale or Marketing of Firearm-Related Products".

During the course of the day, the sponsor was nowhere to be found and never did show up to answer questions or provide answers to the Judiciary Committee about the contents of her proposal.

This bill came out of committee with a divided report (meaning it was not unanimous), with the majority recommending this proposed legislation ought NOT to pass. HOWEVER, when two more legislators who were absent submitted their votes, the majority report is now ought to pass.

We anticipate a full House and Senate vote when more gun-related bills have been voted out of committee.

After spending time with anti-gun rights activists in the Maine State House on January 3rd, it is evident that we will have our work cut out for us as we endeavor to educate the people of Maine on the importance of Gun Rights.

Our strength lies in the grassroots. The everyday gun owners in Maine who are willing to take time out of their day to talk to their family, friends, and neighbors about what it means to live in a free society. About what it means to have the right to defend person and property. About how we achieve that.

As we enter into the next legislative session the opponents of liberty have outlined their priorities:

Red Flag Laws that are devoid of due process

72-Hour waiting periods, after being declared legal to own a firearm, that would leave people defenseless and essentially decimate gun shows in our state

Universal Background Checks that will require the law-abiding to pay fees to privately sell their firearms while criminals and those with ill-intent continue to skirt the law, and

“Assault weapons” bans, that at their heart seek to erode the right to bear arms little by little until the law abiding populace is disarmed.

Please join us in the Fight for Freedom by adding yourself to our mailing list so that you can be kept aware of legislation and hearings, becoming a dues paying member to help us educate our State, and keeping advocating for our Second Amendment rights in our daily interactions with family and friends.

Just one day prior to the scheduled work session, the sponsor of LD 1696 submitted an amendment to change not only the title, but the content of her bill. It was changed from:

"An Act to Create a Civil Cause of Action for Persons Suffering Damages Arising from the Sale of Abnormally Dangerous Firearms"

to

"An Act to Establish Civil Liability for the Illegal Sale or Marketing of Firearm-Related Products"

This would allow the Maine Attorney General to subjectively fine people anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 for any person who sells, or offers, or markets a gun, ammo or accessories “in any manner that is unconscionable, unscrupulous, oppressive, or deceptive”, promotes modifications of illegal modifications."

It would also seek to make Maine a less desirable state for Firearms Manufacturers to sell their legal products.

This bill's work session has been moved to Wednesday, January 17th at 10:00am. There is still time to submit testimony online.

If you need assistance submitting testimony, please ask at info@gunownersofmaine.org

Gun Owners of Maine responds to Senator Angus King's GOSAFE Act proposal:

Senator Angus King’s GOSAFE Act proposal is not only misguided but dangerous.

Instead of focusing on curbing violence perpetrated by individuals with mental health problems, he is seeking to infringe not only on law-abiding citizens but on the future manufacture of firearms by “mandating that future gas-operated designs are approved before manufacture”. This would set a dangerous precedent for the government to further dictate how United States citizens defend themselves and the Orwellian undertones are unsettling.

Senator King’s proposal would make tens of millions of firearms that have already been deemed legal to own by the Supreme Court, illegal. By putting forth “feel good” legislation that on the surface might sound like a solution to violence, when in reality the proposal: further limits what kind of firearms are legal; makes arbitrary magazine capacity limits; requires legal gun owners to return their legally purchased firearms to the government knowing full well any criminals will not do so, leaving the law-abiding defenseless; Senator King is complicit in treading all over the United States Constitution.

Gun Owners of Maine opposes all legislation that removes the right to bear arms from law-abiding citizens. We maintain that evil lies in the hearts of men, not in inanimate objects, regardless of their capacity or firing mechanism. We look forward to the day when our Representatives in Congress are willing to sit down and have a serious discussion about how to address the mental health crisis that is taking place in our state and country instead of putting forth legislation that only harms the law-abiding.

Please visit our Legislative tracking page for the 131st session summary: https://gunownersofmaine.org/131Tracking

LD 168 - "An Act Regarding Criminal Background Checks for the Sale, Transfer or Exchange of Firearms" has not passed the senate.

It was voted on last minute in the House and passed by 1 vote with 14 absent. After moving to the Senate it was voted down.

https://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?paper=HP0109&SessionID=15

https://www.pressherald.com/2023/06/16/maine-senate-rejects-house-backed-bill-to-ban-bump-stocks-other-gun-modifications/

https://www.pressherald.com/2023/06/15/maine-senate-kills-72-hour-waiting-period-for-gun-purchases/

Yesterday the House voted AGAINST a 72 Hour Waiting period for gun owners who have already passed a background check to be able to take their firearms home.

This is a huge victory given the current make-up of the legislature when it comes to gun rights, outlined in the article below.

Legislature fails in initial try to push gun control through House

CALL TO ACTION

There are only a few days left in the current legislative session and the Maine House and Senate could be voting any day on Gun Rights Bills.

Now is the time to contact your individual representation and make sure they know where you stand on the Second Amendment.

Using the links below to find your legislators by your city/town, please consider reaching out to YOUR Senator and Representative and urge them to vote AGAINST Gun Control.

We encourage you to:

• Address your legislator personally and indicate you are their constituent.
• Politely ask them to vote in favor of the Second Amendment and against Gun Control.
• If you want to speak to any particular gun rights related bill, do so.
• Sign your name and the town you live in so they know they represent you

Even if you know your legislators stands with us on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms, a note of encouragement in the face of adversity can never hurt!

Contact your State Senator

Contact your State Representative

Members,

This week, radical anti-gun politicians in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee rammed through a slew of extreme gun-control bills. They ignored expert testimony on how these bills do not address public safety issues. They ignored thousands of Maine gun owners who contacted them highlighting the fact that these laws only restrict the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. The only person they didn’t ignore: anti-gun Billionaire Mike Bloomberg.

To save our 2A rights in Maine, we must double down and fight these bills. I’m calling on all members to join GOME members and the National Rifle Association for a “Maine Lobby Day” on Tuesday, May 30^th at 9AM. Members will meet at the Maine State House where they will be given free t-shirts, gear, and handouts before heading upstairs to lobby members to vote against these anti-gun bills.

A summary of some of the worst bills are below for reference:

LD 22 is an overly broad bill that puts Maine out of alignment with federal law regarding the sale of antique firearms. This bill classifies these firearms in the same class as all other firearms, resulting in a conflict with how these sales are processed. This would put sellers who follow federal law, in violation of state law.

LD 60 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. Instead, this simply denies someone the ability to buy a firearm for urgent self-defense.

LD 168 requires background checks for all private sales of firearms, including those at gun shows or resulting from advertising, with very limited exceptions. It applies to a private sale between two parties – including friends, neighbors, and coworkers, regardless of where the sale takes place. All such transfers – even if the seller knows the recipient is not a prohibited person – would have to be conducted through a federal firearm licensed dealer (FFL), with extensive federal paperwork, payment of an undetermined fee, and approval from the U.S. government.

LD 1011 requires law abiding gun owners who are victims of theft, to report the stolen firearm within 72 hours of when the owner knew or “should have known” it was lost or stolen. Rather than deter fraudulent gun sales, this bill would turn victims of gun theft into criminals and make people whose guns have been lost or stolen hesitant to assist police for fear of prosecution.

LD 1340 bans legal “rapid-fire modification devices” that are already commonly owned and in use by Mainers. These devices include but are not limited to bump stocks and binary triggers that are used in a wide array of legal activities, including competitive and recreational shooting. Possession of such devices would be a Class D crime.

Again, please make sure you join your fellow gun-owners on Tuesday, May 30^th at the Maine State House to protect our 2A rights.