When I voted for Janet Mills for governor, I did so believing she would fulfill her campaign promise to support meaningful gun safety legislation to protect Mainers. Instead, she has apparently worked with gun rights groups to oppose all such legislation introduced this session.
In a recent Facebook Live session, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Institute for Legislative Action claimed that, in a quid pro quo, the governor agreed to oppose all gun safety legislation in favor of passing a bill they crafted together. That bill, L.D. 1811, focuses on removing weapons from the dangerously mentally ill when they are taken into protective custody, ignoring the fact that many dangerous and violent individuals or those in temporary crisis are not mentally ill.
In fact, as written, this bill addresses only a small subset of individuals who may harm themselves or others with a gun. L.D. 1312, the red-flag bill already before the Legislature, would address a much broader set of circumstances.
L.D. 1811 is being touted by the governor and legislators as a bipartisan compromise, but the only thing they have compromised by bending to the will of the gun lobby is the safety of Maine children and communities. As a mother of two young children, I hope someday our politicians will have the courage to keep their promises and protect Maine from becoming just another statistic.
Maura Pillsbury
Freeport
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