AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Senate voted to block an effort to require background checks for private gun sales on Tuesday, a day after the proposal passed the Maine House by a single vote.
Republicans and several Democrats including Senate President Troy Jackson joined the majority in opposition to the bill. The 21-13 vote effectively ended the proposal for this year.
Similar bills have been offered before but always face an uphill struggle in a state with a strong hunting tradition. A slim majority of Mainers rejected background checks in a 2016 referendum.
Supporters contend the bill would've ended a loophole that allowed people who are prohibited from possessing or purchasing firearms to buy guns through private sales or gun shows. Opponents said the background checks posed an unfair burden to law-abiding gun owners in Maine.
Lawmakers did approve a bill banning so-called straw purchases, making it illegal to buy guns on behalf of someone who's prohibited from owning them.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill into law, making straw purchases a felony. The law mirrors a federal ban on straw purchases but allows local police to make arrests.
