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The state’s Judiciary Committee has heard public testimony on Wednesday afternoon on the red flag law citizens referendum. This procedural step almost didn’t happen after democratic committee chairs said it would not be scheduled. Republicans pushed back and said it was against the law to not have a hearing on a measure that will go before Mainers on the ballot.Holding a public hearing on referendum questions is state law, but committee chair Anne Carney said it’s not part of the state constitution, which supersedes state law, but after hearing from Mainers who wanted a public hearing, democrats decided to schedule it.”It was important to us because it is, in fact, the law,” Sen. Matt Harrington, R-York, said.”Since then, there has been a narrative blown out of perspective and really doesn’t portray at all what happened,” Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cumberland, said of the conversations had since the announcement.Currently, the state has a yellow flag law on the books. Nacole Palmer from Maine Gun Safety says that’s not enough, and points to the thousands of Mainers who signed petitions to get this on the ballot who want an additional extreme risk protection law.”The yellow flag law isn’t going anywhere. That law is still going to be on the books … but the fact of the matter is that law disempowers family members,” she said.Gun rights groups disagree.”I think that this is a real overreach and really dangerous for the due process and First Amendment, Second Amendment, Fourth and Fifth Amendment concerns of Mainers,” Justin Davis from the National Rifle Association said.Governor Janet Mills’ office and the Maine Department of Public Safety are opposing this measure. Mills has said it’s inconsistent with the yellow flag law the state currently has. The law doesn’t cancel out the yellow flag law, it just adds the red flag law.Davis says with Mills’ opposition, it shows a bipartisan front. “Pretty much across the board, there’s a huge bipartisan coalition was very concerned about this and it undermines Maine’s current law,” he said.Public testimony is expected to continue into tonight.
The state’s Judiciary Committee has heard public testimony on Wednesday afternoon on the red flag law citizens referendum. This procedural step almost didn’t happen after democratic committee chairs said it would not be scheduled. Republicans pushed back and said it was against the law to not have a hearing on a measure that will go before Mainers on the ballot.
Holding a public hearing on referendum questions is state law, but committee chair Anne Carney said it’s not part of the state constitution, which supersedes state law, but after hearing from Mainers who wanted a public hearing, democrats decided to schedule it.
“It was important to us because it is, in fact, the law,” Sen. Matt Harrington, R-York, said.
“Since then, there has been a narrative blown out of perspective and really doesn’t portray at all what happened,” Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cumberland, said of the conversations had since the announcement.
Currently, the state has a yellow flag law on the books. Nacole Palmer from Maine Gun Safety says that’s not enough, and points to the thousands of Mainers who signed petitions to get this on the ballot who want an additional extreme risk protection law.
“The yellow flag law isn’t going anywhere. That law is still going to be on the books … but the fact of the matter is that law disempowers family members,” she said.
Gun rights groups disagree.
“I think that this is a real overreach and really dangerous for the due process and First Amendment, Second Amendment, Fourth and Fifth Amendment concerns of Mainers,” Justin Davis from the National Rifle Association said.
Governor Janet Mills’ office and the Maine Department of Public Safety are opposing this measure.
Mills has said it’s inconsistent with the yellow flag law the state currently has. The law doesn’t cancel out the yellow flag law, it just adds the red flag law.
Davis says with Mills’ opposition, it shows a bipartisan front.
“Pretty much across the board, there’s a huge bipartisan coalition was very concerned about this and it undermines Maine’s current law,” he said.
Public testimony is expected to continue into tonight.
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