AUGUSTA – Maine Senate Republicans applaud the rejection of radical gun control policies in the Maine Senate. In addition, they applaud the bipartisan effort to criminalize straw purchases, which will actually address the issue of violent crime rather than punish law-abiding gun owners. 

“Year after year, we’ve seen extreme gun control policies pushed by out-of-state organizations that seek to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding Mainers,” said Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart, R-Aroostook. “Today, Maine Senate Republicans stood firm and led the effort to defeat these extreme proposals.”

As adopted by the Maine Senate, LD 22 makes the straw purchase of a firearm a Class D crime under state law. Straw purchases are known to be a major pipeline for violent criminals to obtain firearms. Cracking down on straw purchases will not only punish those breaking federal law, but will not infringe on the rights of law-abiding Mainers.

“As a law enforcement officer, I stand ready to address real solutions to the root causes of violent crime and suicide in Maine. However, extreme gun control proposals that only burden law-abiding Mainers will not do either,” said Sen. Matt Harrington, R-York, who is the Senate Republican Lead for the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. “Today, I am pleased that the Maine Senate continued to protect our strong tradition of safe and responsible gun ownership.”

A second bill, LD 60, would have delayed Second Amendment rights by imposing a three-day waiting period before an individual could receive a firearm they lawfully purchased. There is no evidence to show causation between waiting periods and a reduction in violent crime and suicides. Instead, the measure would have simply denied someone the ability to buy a firearm for urgent self-defense reasons. “There’s still more extreme legislation in the pipeline that will only affect law-abiding gun owners,” Harrington said. “I encourage reaching out to your legislator to oppose these extreme measures.”