AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills announced Tuesday during her State of the State Address a series of firearm legislation proposals designed to strengthen the state's "yellow flag" law and boost background checks.
Mills suggested mandated background checks for all commercially advertised gun sales on platforms like Facebook, Craigslist, and Uncle Henry's.
Facebook and Craigslist have policies that explicitly prohibit the sales of guns on their websites. Uncle Henry's, a classifieds weekly for print and online, permits listings for gun purchase and sale ads.
Mills also said she wanted to see crisis centers provide more immediate mental health care to people who are at risk of harming themselves or others.
Gun legislation has been top of mind for many citizens and lawmakers in Maine after 18 people were shot and killed in Lewiston in October.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to several gun shop owners to understand where they stood on the proposals Mills made Tuesday, but owners declined to comment for various reasons, such as fear of receiving backlash or their comments affecting their business.
Leaders from some nonprofit organizations, like Everytown for Gun Safety, said Mills' proposals are a step in the right direction, but her proposed measures don't not go far enough.
Kathleen McFadden is a volunteer at Everytown, and she's the chapter lead for Moms Demand Action. McFadden said Everytown is still pushing for legislation to require gun salesmen to enforce a72-hour waiting period for people who are looking to purchase a gun.
"The narrative that criminals will always get their hands on guns—we should be doing everything conceivably possible to stop that," McFadden said.
Other organizations, like the nonprofit Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, said they don't support a three-day cool off period for people who desire to purchase firearms.
David Trahan, the organization's executive director, said enforcing cool-off mandates could be dangerous for and possibly prevent people from protecting themselves if they feel that they are in immediate danger.
Trahan said he believes one proposal that isn't getting enough attention is Mills' suggestion to create crisis centers.
"That item alone will save lives immediately, " Trahan said. "People need help when they need it, not when it's convenient for the providers or when health care can provide it. So, getting into rural areas—Maine is a rural state. We don't have a lot of services in those rural areas."
Trahan said he made additional suggestions to Mills, one being to reassess how correctional systems release potentially dangerous or violent individuals into society after they've served their time.
Despite the tragedy of Lewiston sparking gun control conversations, Trahan said he believes tightening gun laws does not stop gun violence entirely.
"You'll never be able to stop every single person who ever wants to do something like this," Trahan said. "And we as a society cannot be one-dimensional and only focus on one solution. Yes, I can understand why some people want to push gun control, but that can't be the only debate. We need to debate the entire situation and find out what we can do in its entirety and not just one policy."
Trahan said although gun safety is important, he feels that sometimes people harp on making gun laws stricter without looking at gun violence from a broader perspective. He said he hopes to have a sit down with Everytown in the future to talk things through and gain a better understanding about how to approach increasing safety for Mainers.