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Year after year we’ve seen the same sight in Augusta: progressive politicians put forth a laundry list of radical gun-control measures. This list includes evergreen bills including waiting periods, mandating background checks if you’re transferring a hunting rifle to your friend, and banning federally legal firearm attachments. In fact, this session is so extreme that it even includes a poorly written bill that could result in the end of muzzleloader and antique firearm sales in Maine. Every session bills like these come up and every session they get voted down. Why? Because they have no place in Maine and its proud gun-owning heritage.
But as the power paradigm shifts to progressive politicians in the Maine State House, Mainers are in danger of trading constitutional rights for policies that have proven to not advance public safety. Universal background checks, which were rejected by Maine voters in 2016, do not stop criminals from obtaining firearms. Seventy-two hour waiting periods can block women from arming and protecting themselves when they are facing imminent threats from aggressors. Muzzleloaders aren’t being used in crimes.
Despite all of this, and even though Maine is the safest state in the nation, far-left progressive politicians are pushing these bills and have refused many amendments. Now, these bills are going to the floor for all of Maine’s lawmakers to cast their votes.
For years, moderate reasonable lawmakers have stood up to the far-left politicians to protect the rural Maine way of life. As we head into these critical votes, many Mainers from Kittery to Madawaska are calling on these lawmakers to preserve Maine’s heritage and to reject these bills that will do little but infringe on the rights of law-abiding Mainers and give criminals the upper hand.
Justin Davis
NRA state director
Augusta
