MAINE, USA — The Maine Gun Safety Coalition and its allies launched an effort Thursday to get a stricter gun measure on the state's ballot in the next few years.
"We can’t wait for the next major shooting to take action," Nacole Palmer, coalition executive director, said.
If successful, the signature-gathering campaign would put an extreme-risk protection order, also known as a "red flag law," before Maine voters.
The law removes a need for mental health evaluations before family and law enforcement can begin the process of restricting someone's access to firearms if they pose a threat to themselves or others.
The effort comes after state lawmakers considered a red flag law in the wake of the Lewiston mass shootings. However, the full House and Senate never voted on it.
"Families need to have the ability to take action when their loved one is in crisis," Palmer told NEWS CENTER Maine. "At the moment, with our yellow flag law, families are completely disempowered."
Maine’s current yellow flag law requires a mental health evaluation before a court can sign off on restricting someone’s access to weapons, unlike a red flag law.
In its final report, the independent commission investigating the mass shootings said the law should have been used to take away the shooter's weapons, but it never was.
"If we’re not already using the laws that are on the books, how in the world is something more restrictive going to be of use," Joshua Raines, vice president of Gun Owners of Maine, said.
Raines said the group supports Maine’s current law, but a red flag law takes away one’s due process.
"They don’t have their day in court before items get removed," he added. "Officers show up, the individual being accused has no idea what’s going on."
Palmer added the law had already been passed in 21 states, including the District of Columbia.
It’s too late for the measure to appear on the November ballot. Palmer said they will work to gather signatures to qualify the initiative for the 2025 or 2026 ballot.
