Democratic Governor Janet Mills On Friday, lawmakers signed a set of gun safety laws approved after the deadliest mass shooting in state history, expanding background checks for private sales of weapons, strengthening the state’s “yellow flag” law, Criminalizing the transfer of guns to prohibited persons and expanding mental health crisis care.
The governor told lawmakers during his State of the State address that doing nothing was not an option after an Army reservist killed 18 people and wounded 13 others with an assault rifle in Lewiston on Oct. 25.
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The bills were opposed by Republicans, who accused Democrats, who control both legislative chambers, of using the tragedy to push proposals, some of which had already been defeated. Mills said Friday the proposals would improve public safety while respecting the state’s long traditions of gun ownership and outdoor heritage.
Mills said, “This legislation represents significant, meaningful progress without trampling anyone’s rights, and it will better protect public safety by implementing appropriate reforms and significantly expanding mental health resources.”
Governor Janet Mills attends an event in Augusta, Maine on March 11, 2022. Mills on Friday, April 26, 2024, signed a set of gun safety legislation approved by lawmakers following the deadliest mass shooting in state history, including expanding background checks for private sales of weapons, expanding the state’s “yellow Flags” laws, including strengthening, criminalizing. Prohibiting gun transfers to people and expanding mental health crisis care. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The new law signed by the governor does not require universal background checks, but it does require background checks of people who advertise guns for sale on Craigslist. facebook marketplace Or elsewhere. Sellers will be required to conduct background checks using commercially licensed businesses such as L.L. Bean or Cabela’s.
The legislation includes changes to the state’s yellow flag law that allows police to assess a person, take the person into protective custody for a mental health evaluation and hold a hearing before a judge to remove guns from someone in psychiatric crisis. Is.
The new law allows police to go directly to a judge for a warrant, simplifying the process. It removes the hurdle that was created when a deputy refused to answer the door to meet the face-to-face meeting required by the Lewiston gunman that is required under current law. Law enforcement members have said in testimony about the shootings that the state’s existing yellow flag law is burdensome and difficult to enforce.
The Republican leader of the Maine House of Representatives said Republicans in the state are opposed to the bill, particularly because of the expanded background checks proposal, Representative Billy Bob Falkinghamon Friday.
“House Republicans have voiced continued support for Maine’s so-called yellow flag law and strengthening mental health services, but oppose the governor’s bill,” Falkingham said. “Unenforceable background check provisions will only create confusion among law-abiding people.”
Supporters of expanded gun control laws, who have advocated for passage of the new standards for months, called approval of the rules a victory. Twenty-two states now have background check laws, said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
Advocates also said they hope other new gun measures approved by lawmakers in Maine will soon become law.
“Today is a victory for the gun violence prevention movement and a demonstration of what Mainers can accomplish when we work together to keep our communities safe,” said Vicki Farsasi, a volunteer with the Maine chapter of Moms Demand Action. Are.”
The bill signed by the Governor also strengthens the legal standards for prosecution and penalties for preventing others from selling guns to prohibited purchasers, making it a felony. The governor’s office said in a statement that the new approach will mean that transfers of firearms to family members or trusted friends, as is common in Maine, will remain unchanged, but that checks against (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) Will encourage. For private, undisclosed sales to unknown persons through the threat of prosecution and increased risk of prison sentence.”
Mills’ approval of the gun proposals came a day after a special commission convened to interview Card’s fellow reservists, who warned about Card’s increasingly unregulated behavior. After an extensive search, Card was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a mass shooting.
Sean Hodgson, one of the fellow reservists interviewed Thursday, told superiors in September: “I believe he’s going to cause a mass shooting.”
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Mills also proposed the creation of a new violence and injury prevention program, requiring the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to act as a clearinghouse for data from law enforcement, hospitals, schools, and other sources to inform public policy decisions. Will have to work as.
His proposal for a network of crisis centers, meanwhile, would build on the first such facility already operating in Portland and a second being built in Central Maine.
