By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Maine Public Radio’s report hearings held this week regarding proposed new restrictions on gun owners explained it best: “Gun control advocates scored several major victories last year following the mass shootings in Lewiston… Those advocates are back again.”
It is an apparent never-ending crusade by the gun prohibition lobby to ratchet down on the rights of Maine’s law-abiding citizens, essentially like all other states. Last year, anti-gunners chalked up victories “including an expansion of background checks to many private sales and a three-day waiting period on firearm purchases,” the report noted.
During a lengthy public hearing before the Judiciary Committee, gun control proponents and Second Amendment activists offered conflicting opinions about different legislation now under consideration in Augusta. Three bills seem to be getting the most attention:
- LD 677, SP0292An Act to Update the Statutory Definition of “Machine Gun” and Prohibit Possession of a Rapid-fire Device
- LD 1109, HP0728An Act to Reduce Gun Violence Casualties in Maine by Prohibiting the Possession of Large-capacity Ammunition Feeding Devices
- LD 1126, HP0745An Act Requiring Serial Numbers on Firearms and Prohibiting Undetectable Firearms
WGME News quoted gun owner Glenn Gisel, who contended, “Maine is continuously rated the safest state in the nation, and it’s not a coincidence that Maine also has very liberal gun laws, and limiting magazine capacities only undermines the ability of lawful citizens to defend themselves.”
On the other side, the station quoted gun control advocate Sakaya Nelson, who argued, “Mass shootings, including the ones that kill children in their own schools, are most often executed with guns that have large magazines and fire rapidly.”
These are arguments similar to contrasting viewpoints at public hearings in virtually every state. As noted by Maine Public Radio, the hearing brought gun control support statements from “emergency room doctors, reverends (and) public health advocates” and “multiple high school students.”
Last year, Gov. Janet Mills vetoed legislation which would have banned bump stocks after strong opposition from Republicans and rural Democrats. However, LD 677 appears to be taking another shot at it by prohibiting “rapid fire devices.” According to the bill’s language:
“’Rapid-fire device’ means a device, part or combination of parts that is not a machine gun and that materially increases the rate of fire of a semi-automatic firearm above the rate of fire of the semi-automatic firearm absent the device, part or combination of parts, including, but not limited to:
(1) A device that, when installed in or attached to a firearm, increases the rate of fire of the firearm by using energy from the recoil of the firearm to generate a reciprocating action that facilitates repeated activation of the trigger;
(2) A device that, when installed in or attached to a firearm, fires both when the trigger is pulled and on release of the trigger; or
(3) A manual device that, when installed in or attached to a firearm, repeatedly activates the trigger of the firearm through the use of a crank, a lever or any other part that is turned in a circular motion.”
Public reaction as indicated by viewer comments at WGME appears to be mostly negative. One viewer wrote, “Soon enough only criminals who don’t care about laws will have standard capacity mags, and we will need to fend them off with rocks and sticks if some people get their way.” Another concurred, “So just criminals who seem not to care for your “bills” and “laws” will have ability to fire more than 10 rounds quickly, while the rest of law abiding citizens will have to reload….. smart. Just leave it alone already. High cap mags, bump stocks, and suppressors, and the like not the problem. Get your heads out of the clouds.”
