MCAHV (c4) is the legislative arm of Maine Citizens. Here is where we work on passing laws that make it more difficult for criminals and felons to purchase or possess weapons.
Find Gun-Day detailed information about bills and contact information for the committee they are in below. (Additional contact information for legislative information can be found on our Contacts & Links page.)
L.D. 1347 An Act Relating to Locations where Concealed Weapons May Be Carried - (we reported on this in our last action alert) This bill would allow concealed carry guns in places like bars and labor protests
L.D. 658 An Act To Modify the Requirement of a Permit To Carry a Concealed Weapon - This bill proposes to weaken the permitting process. Requires an establishment that serves alcohol to post a sign that strictly prohibits CCW. It reduces the costs for obtaining a permit from $35 to $10 (new), $20 to $5 (renewal) and reduces other fees and sets no limit on time for completion of a safety course. In addition, this bill extends the period for the permit from 4 to 7 years.
L.D. 932 An Act To Allow Concealed Weapons in the State House - A dangerous new bill that seeks to allow concealed carry of guns in the State House.
L.D. 1232 An Act To Enhance Self-defense by Removing Restrictions on the Carrying and Use of Weapons - Another bill that endangers the public by removing the prohibition on having a loaded gun in a vehicle for someone other than the permit holder. It also allows someone to shoot from the vehicle if in defense of life or property.
L.D. 1176 An Act To Enhance Reciprocity Agreements Regarding Permits To Carry Concealed Firearms - This allows permit holders from other states to CCW while in Maine without having to obtain a Maine CCW permit.
L.D. 35 An Act Relating to Concealed Firearms Locked in Vehicles - Knowing the number of workplace shootings across the US, this bill actually forces employers to allow their employees to have guns in their vehicles at work.
L.D. 446 An Act To Allow Law Enforcement Officers from Out of State To Carry Concealed Weapons - This bill allows law enforcement officers and retired law enforcement officers from out of state to CCW while in Maine
L.D. 1168 An Act To Exempt Firearms Manufactured in this State from Federal Regulation - This bill exempts gun, ammunition, and gun accessories manufacturers in Maine from any federal regulation as long as the gun, ammunition and accessories stay in the state.
L.D. 578 An Act To Allow Municipalities To Restrict the Possession of Firearms in Certain Circumstances - Of these nine bills, this bill is a good one. It allows Maine munipalities to make their own decisions about whether to restrict the possession of guns in municipal buildings or during municipal legislative assembly.
Currently all bills are being heard in the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Contact committee members through their clerk Fern Neilson or by clicking on each individual member below.
Senate
Stanley Gerozfsky 207-373-1328, email here
Garrett Mason (207) 577-1521, garrettpaulmason@gmail.com
Rodney Whittemore (207) 474-6703, rodwhittemore@gmail.com
House
Anna Blodgett (207) 622-3967, annadblodgett@yahoo.com
David Burns (207) 733-8856, dburnsinv@midmaine.com
Michael Clarke (207) 442-7388,
HL7mike@gwi.net
Susan Morrisette (207) 873-5106, morissette2010@gmail.com
Gary Plummer (207) 892-6088, geplummer@aol.com
Deborah Sanderson (207) 623-2168, deb.sanderson@hotmail.com
Stephen Hanley (207) 582-9073, lincoln67@myfairpoint.net
Anne Haskell (207) 871-5808, annehask@maine.rr.com
Michael Lajoie (207) 783-1927, lajoie1@midmaine.com
Ricky Long (207) 267-1828,
rdl_chief@yahoo.com
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CURRENT LAW - Gun Sales
Federal law regulates sales by federally licensed gun dealers (FFLs) (defined as a person “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms), but does not apply to a non-dealer, (defined as a person “who makes occasional sales, exchanges or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or for a hobby, or who sells all or a part of his personal collection of firearms”).
Sales by non-dealers in Maine take place at gun shows that are a significant distribution channel for all firearms and they are advertised and sold extensively in Uncle Henry’s. Presumably sales also take place in a wide variety of other forms and venues, although Craigslist and eBay expressly prohibit advertisements or offers of firearms.
State law does not regulate sales by private sellers at gun shows, via Uncle Henry’s or otherwise, except that no firearm may be sold to a person under 16 and no handgun, to a person under 18.
NRA
The NRA has employed a number of stock arguments against new gun laws but one of the most frequently employed is that enforcement of existing laws would obviate the need for new laws. In its 2006 publication “Targeting Criminals, Not Gun Owners”, the NRA claimed that if we “get tough on criminals, not on our right to own guns . . . crime will disappear” (hardly a modest objective!), and the same year Wayne LaPierre, NRA President, told USA Today ,“Until you provide 100% enforcement of the existing laws, [criminals are] going to laugh at you”.
Quite serendipitously Ronald Reagan used much the same language to endorse the Brady bill, telling the New York Times it was a new “enforcement mechanism” that “can’t help but stop thousands of illegal gun purchases”. Reagan was right, of course: background checks only enforce existing law by providing an efficient and inexpensive means of determining if a gun buyer is barred by an existing law from purchasing a firearm. Extending such enforcement to sales at gun shows and by non-dealers would seem to be what the NRA and Mr. LaPierre so strongly advocate as the solution to America’s crime problem.
Republican Support
To the great surprise of many gun advocates Republican leaders for many years have supported more restrictive gun laws. Ronald Reagan’s support of the Brady bill was instrumental to its passage, George W Bush in 2004 supported renewing the assault weapon ban (that Congress then allowed to expire), and he supported extending federal background checks to all sales at gun shows.
John McCain over strong opposition from the NRA always has supported closing the gun show loophole, and has done so eloquently: “Despite the tragic lessons we have learned, it is still far too easy for a convicted felon to buy firearms at a gun show. That is wrong. This is not about what’s conservative and what’s liberal, what’s Republican and what’s Democrat. It’s about what’s right and what’s wrong. And quite simply, closing this loophole is the right thing to do. “ To put “paid” to McCain’s position John Ashcroft also recently endorsed background checks at gun shows.
Precedents
California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania have enacted legislation requiring background checks for all sales at gun shows. Such legislation has not reduced the popularity of gun shows in such states, and the only gun show in Maine that is restricted to licensed dealers (Bangor) remains one of the most heavily attended in the state.
California, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have enacted legislation requiring background checks for all private firearms sales.
Public Opinion
Consistently and for many years national polls show more than 80% support for extending federal background checks to sales at gun shows (Henigan, Prologue, n. 9). Current polls show the same. In December 2009 Republican pollster Frank Luntz, nationally recorded 85% support for closing the gun show loophole among non-NRA members and a strong 69% support among NRA members. The Pan Atlantic SMS Poll in Maine in September 2009 recorded 88% support for closing the gun show loophole and only 8.7% opposed, a support ratio of better than 10 to 1.
SOME MYTHS DEBUNKED
MYTH - Guns are registered and when there is a crime, they are easy to track down.
FACT - Maine does not require guns to be registered.
MYTH - There is no Gun Show Loophole. Private sales are just that, private and are therefore not controlled by Commerce laws.
FACT - Many private sellers or 'non dealers' are in fact taking advantage of their status. Take a look at the undercover video on our Home Page. Also so visit our Statistics Page that outlines this problem with Uncle Henry's. This is what is meant by the Gun Show Loophole.
MYTH - There are countries like Israel and Switzerland with more guns and less crime than the US.
FACT - While these countries have armed militias, they also have very strict rules where the militias and guns are concerned which mean they acutally do have strict gun control laws.
MYTH - President Obama wants to completly ban guns.
FACT - President Obama, according to the Brady Center 2009 Report Card, failed miserably with all F's. Sure doesn't look like he's even trying to close the Gun Show Loophole.
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