Several gun bills inspired by mass shooting are headed for final passage in Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine — A series of gun safety bills introduced in the wake of the deadliest shooting in Maine history appear to be headed toward final passage as the state Legislature races to wrap up its session this week.
The House followed the Senate on Monday in passing the governor’s omnibus gun safety bill, which strengthens the state’s yellow flag law, strengthens background checks on private gun sales and makes it a crime to recklessly sell a gun to a prohibited person. The bill also funds violence prevention initiatives and opens a mental health crisis shelter in Lewiston.
More votes are needed in the Democratic-controlled Legislature before it adjourns on Wednesday. The House will also vote on two bills passed by the Senate: waiting periods for gun purchases and a ban on bump stocks.
One bill that failed was a proposal to let gun violence victims sue gun manufacturers. And so far, neither chamber has voted on a proposed red flag law that would allow family members to ask a judge to take away guns from someone in a mental health crisis. That proposal differs from the state’s current yellow flag law, which puts police in charge of the process.
Meanwhile, another measure sponsored by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross to fund a range of mental health and violence prevention initiatives is awaiting funding in the final budget.
The state has a strong hunting tradition and an active lobby aimed at protecting the rights of gun owners. Maine voters rejected universal background checks for firearm purchases in 2016.
The Oct. 25 shooting in Lewiston, which killed 18 people and injured 13 others, prompted lawmakers to take action. They said voters demanded they do something that could prevent future attacks.
Police were warned by relatives of the gunman, an army reservist who died by suicide, that he had begun to become paranoid and lost his grip on reality before the attack. He was hospitalized last summer while training with his Army Reserve unit, and his best friend, a fellow reservist, warned that the man was “going to commit a mass shooting.”