Firearm rights are under continued assault in Maine

Second Amendment

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Last week, the Press Herald editorial board published a piece lambasting Republicans and the “gun lobby” for their work to protect and uphold Mainers’ constitutional rights (“Maine Republicans hellbent on keeping gun lobby happy,” Jan. 19). The editorial was chock full of oversimplifications and clichéd attacks. We have no interest in these types of political games. Instead, we simply lay out the facts surrounding the gun control debate and efforts to repeal Maine’s extreme waiting period law.

While the editorial board has the luxury of spouting partisan attacks without consequence, Maine lawmakers are required to represent their constituents.

The power of the gun lobby does not lie in lawyers and lobbyists but in the massive number of Americans who proudly fight to protect their Second Amendment rights. Maine is home to more than 670,000 firearm owners. These Mainers come from all walks of life and live in all areas of the state. Republican, Democrat, rich, poor, young or old, no single demographic defines the massive voting bloc of law-abiding gun owners in Maine.

Now more than ever, gun rights supporters are playing an active role in protecting their constitutional rights. Many pro-gun candidates enjoyed major electoral wins, while many incumbent politicians who sided with Michael Bloomberg’s gun control lobby lost their seats. This should come as no surprise; a recent NRA study highlighted that the highest density of Maine gun owners resides in Maine’s tightest political districts.

This diverse coalition has created a unique political force that crosses party lines and demands policies based on facts, not rhetoric. This has resulted in a bipartisan group of lawmakers who have effectively blocked a slew of California-style gun control policies that would do nothing but disarm law-abiding Mainers. Instead of criticizing these lawmakers for taking an honest and analytical approach to proposed policies, they should be praised for reaching across the aisle and upholding their constitutional oath.

Despite the editorial board’s reference to “unanimity,” the waiting period bill passed by only one vote after questionable political tactics were employed. As one may recall, then-Speaker Troy Jackson rammed the bill through in the 11th hour, using an obscure rule that allowed senators who were not present to vote in favor of the bill.

These political games, coupled with the constitutionally dubious nature of waiting periods, resulted in Gov. Janet Mills allowing the bill to go into law without her signature.

With the implementation of waiting periods in Maine, law-abiding Mainers who pass federal background checks are now forced to wait three days to receive a firearm they have legally purchased.

This law, while pitched as well-intentioned, creates a number of severe unintended consequences.

No longer can a woman in desperate need of self-defense from an abuser purchase a firearm to protect her family in her time of need? Hunting tourists, who would have previously traveled to Maine to purchase a firearm and hunt, are opting to spend their money in neighboring states, further crushing our rural economies. While these issues may not be of interest to the editorial board, they are of grave concern to struggling citizens who are forced to wait upward of an hour for police to respond to an emergency.

The battle to repeal waiting periods is just one facet of the never-ending fight to protect law-abiding Mainers’ constitutional rights in Augusta. This session, well-funded progressive groups are once again doubling down their assault on the Second Amendment, running a barrage of anti-gun and anti-hunting bills. These bills, if passed, would further disarm law-abiding Mainers, limit hunting access and destroy Maine’s outdoor heritage.

Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines. Get involved, organize your local club, and make your voices heard. Together, we can save firearm rights in Maine.

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