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I enjoy hunting, and respect Maine’s strong hunting culture that includes a deep responsibility to keep guns out of the hands of people who want to shoot themselves or others. Like the majority of Maine’s gun owners (as shown in polls) I support universal background checks, red flag laws and waiting periods. These laws, where enacted in other states, have proved to help prevent shootings and reduce gun suicides.
Despite a majority of Maine gun owners’ supporting such common-sense measures, I think they have been hesitant to speak out publicly, feeling out of step with gun control advocates and suspecting that they want to take away our guns.
But there is a difference between a gun safety law and a gun control law. Let’s meet halfway and support those gun safety laws that are constitutional common-sense laws that have proved to reduce gun violence.
As a long-time Texas NRA member said to his fellow gun owners after the Texas Uvalde shooting last year, “come across and meet me halfway” to support the passage of common sense gun safety measures. Let’s not wait for a Uvalde tragedy in Maine and also meet halfway to support the background check bill and three day waiting period bill that were recently voted out of the Maine Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee, and will soon be voted on by the full Legislature. It is worth it for us to support these safety laws to make Maine safer. Please let your legislator know it’s OK to vote for them.
David Fitz
Cumberland