Final yr, Maine lawmakers handed a sweeping anti-gun measure, which included a three-day ready interval that grew to become legislation as a result of Gov. Janet Mills neither signed nor vetoed it. Mills’ help for varied gun management legal guidelines raised concern amongst gun house owners and sportsmen throughout the state, however her veto of a so-called “assault weapons” ban final Might supplied gun house owners some optimism.
Now, it seems that Gov. Mills may be siding with gun rights teams in opposition to a rising effort by state Democrats to get a red-flag legislation referendum placed on the statewide poll, in response to a report at mainepublic.org.
Throughout her speech on the state finances on January 30, Mills criticized an effort to push a so-called “red-flag” legislation via a poll initiative, saying it could undermine the state’s present “yellow-flag” legislation, which she sees as adequate. In actual fact, Mills vetoed a “red-flag” proposal over the last legislative session.
On January 23, gun management activists within the Pine Tree State submitted greater than 80,000 signatures in an effort to get the arguably unconstitutional proposal on the state poll. The Secretary of State has 30 days from that date to certify the referendum signatures.
In her speech, Mills mentioned state actions after a horrible mass homicide in Lewiston, Maine, in October 2023 killed 18 folks and wounded 13 others. That capturing was the impetus for the newly proposed “red-flag” referendum.
“After the tragedy of October 25 in Lewiston, we established a fee of distinguished specialists, as you realize, to find out the info surrounding the horrific occasion,” Mills mentioned in the course of the finances speech. “Following their report, we licensed an unbiased after-action evaluate of the legislation enforcement response as nicely. That evaluate really helpful measures to enhance communication and coordination within the occasion of one other such tragedy. We’re requesting within the finances some extra positions to satisfy these suggestions and strengthen our response to future emergencies.”
Nonetheless, as Mills identified, the fault of the capturing didn’t relaxation on the state’s present legislation, which is known as a “yellow-flag” legislation, as a result of it’s not fairly as punitive to harmless gun house owners and was up to date simply final yr.
“As an apart, the Lewiston Fee additionally famous that Maine’s excessive danger safety legislation, the so-called ‘yellow-flag’ legislation, might have been used to take away the predator’s gun earlier than that tragedy occurred. And final yr, we strengthened that legislation to make clear and streamline the method additional.”
She then immediately addressed the gun-ban advocates who had organized the signature drive to get a “red-flag” referendum on the poll.
“Final week, advocates submitted signatures to power a referendum that might immediately undermine our present legislation,” she mentioned. “This legislation is just not a burden… This legislation offers due course of, and it’ll survive authorized scrutiny. Proper now, legislation enforcement in Maine are taking this legislation critically.
“I stand by our present legislation, which was handed with a near-unanimous help of the legislature. It’s working. It’s saving lives day by day.”
In the end, it’s uncertain whether or not Gov. Mills’ outspoken opposition to the “red-flag” referendum might be sufficient to cease the motion in its tracks. However one factor is definite: It certain can’t damage.
