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I believe a recent opinion piece in the BDN attempted to muddy the waters on efforts to prevent gun violence in Maine. As a public health professional I want to make one thing clear: there are evidence-based policies we can implement now to promote gun safety and save lives.
These are not “failed out-of-state” policies as the column authors suggest. States with stronger gun safety laws have lower gun death rates compared to states with weaker gun safety laws. Strong gun safety laws can reduce gun deaths, including suicides, which are less talked about despite being the most common form of gun death, particularly in rural states like Maine.
Safety advocates are not “cherry-picking statistics” as the authors state. Background checks have been shown to reduce violence. Waiting periods have been shown to reduce homicides. Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) policies have been shown to save lives.
In fact, I think the NRA sources cited as “crime statistics” by the authors are themselves cherry-picked and misleading. For example, one such source points to New York City’s elevated homicide rate between 2019 and 2020, but ignores the fact that New York City’s shooting incidents last year decreased significantly. What do city officials attribute that success to? Rigorous enforcement of New York’s effective gun safety laws.
In January, more than 1,000 Mainers showed up to the State House in support of gun safety. Now’s the time for Maine’s lawmakers to act.
Jay Knowlton
Portland
