Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13th, the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary will be holding a work session on all major anti-gun bills being heard this session. NRA members and Second Amendment supporters are urged to contact committee members NOW and request they oppose this slate of extreme gun control. Click the TAKE ACTION button below to contact committee members NOW.
Below is the list of anti-gun bills the committee will be voting on tomorrow:
LD 2086, introduced by leading gun-grabbing politician Sen. Anne Carney, creates a backdoor ban on commonly owned firearm parts by redefining a “machine gun” to include any semi-automatic firearm that includes parts that can “increase the rate of fire.” This poorly written bill attempts to sneak a so-called “rapid-fire modification ban” past Mainers in a bill completely unrelated to firearm parts. As written, this bill would ban legally and commonly owned firearm parts. This could include certain firearm parts, competition triggers and other commonly performed trigger modifications used in a wide array of legal activities, including shooting sports, hunting and self-defense.
LD 2119 would create a legal avenue for Maine residents to waive their Second Amendment rights and be prohibited from purchasing a firearm. Major concerns surround this bill including the ability for an individual to be coerced or intimidated into forfeiting their Constitutional rights. Additionally, this bill has no clear rights restoration process, meaning that someone who forfeits their rights may never be able to regain them and remain a prohibited individual indefinitely.
LD 2224 seeks to implement Red Flag and Universal Background Checks in Maine. Both provisions have already been voted down this legislature, and Universal Background Checks were recently voted down by Maine voters at the ballot box.
If passed, this bill would require all “advertised” sales to be subject to background checks regardless of the relationship between the buyer and the seller to close the so-called “gun show loophole” and stop Mainers from selling firearms on Facebook. First and foremost, there is no gun-show loophole. All purchases through Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) are required to go through background checks regardless of location or where the sale takes place. Additionally, Facebook already bans firearm sales on their website, highlighting a further misunderstanding of firearm sales by the Mills administration. Finally, this bill puts Mainers at risk of becoming felons for the simple act of transferring a firearm to a family member, friend, or neighbor.
In addition to proposing failed Universal Background Checks, LD 2224 also seeks to expand Maine’s current Yellow Flag law to Red Flag “Extreme Risk Protection Order” laws. These laws strip citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process based on weak and nebulous standards. If passed, Maine’s Red Flag law could strip Mainers of their Constitutional rights without a hearing and based on hearsay for up to 30 days. It does not include any penalties for erroneous accusations, allowing for an open season against gun owners in Maine.
LD 2238 delays Second Amendment rights by imposing a three-day waiting period before an individual may receive a firearm that they lawfully purchase, with limited exemptions. There is no evidence that waiting periods reduce violent crime. If passed, LD 2238 would deny the right of self-defense to abuse victims or any individual facing an imminent threat. Additionally, waiting periods would destroy Maine’s hunting tourism industry because guides would be unable to provide hunters with firearms and local firearm dealers would be unable to sell and transfer firearms in a timely manner.
Again, contact committee members NOW and urge them to oppose any and all gun legislation that will infringe on the rights of law-abiding Mainers.