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Justin Davis is the Maine NRA State Director and Laura Whitcomb is the President of Gun House owners of Maine.
Within the wake of the tragedy in Lewiston, Mainers are looking for solutions and significant options. Knee-jerk calls for for gun management have been the loudest and most persistent calls within the preliminary moments; nevertheless, as time strikes on, we’re seeing the basis causes of the mindless violence come to mild. One factor stays clear on this scenario, and others prefer it, there are persistent system failures and a scarcity of sources. Maine must prioritize psychological well being therapy and our regulation enforcement group, who’re each on the frontlines of defending our communities.
To most Mainers, it’s clear these points have to be addressed. There’s a important want for a holistic strategy to public security. This may be achieved by way of frequent sense options similar to investing in complete psychological well being care reform and offering the sources that our regulation enforcement group desperately wants. These usually are not new ideas however the identical coverage options the gun-rights advocates have already been advocating for in Maine. These coverage options handle actual pitfalls within the state that led us to the tragedy in October.
This strategy differs drastically from progressive anti-gun teams which can be working a slate of cookie-cutter gun management laws that seems to be extra targeted on serving their nationwide agenda than the individuals of Maine. Even whereas the scene in Lewiston was nonetheless lively, nationwide political figures used Maine’s tragedy with out realizing, or caring about, the information. From blaming Republicans for voting down ready durations (regardless of it being an amazing bipartisan vote), to calling for universal background checks, these politicians wasted no time to push their agenda.
As extra information have come out, and Maine’s unbiased fee continues its investigation, gun house owners have hoped that these requires failed out-of-state gun management would subside. Nevertheless, gun management teams and lawmakers are doubling down on a slate of gun management proposals, together with makes an attempt to redefine generally owned firearms, confiscating firearms with out due course of, implementing common background checks, requiring ready durations on all purchases and transfers of firearms, creating gun registries, banning magazines that maintain greater than 5 rounds, and calling on non-public companies to cease promoting semi-automatic firearms.
Gun house owners have each proper to query how these proposals match the actual fact sample of the Lewiston shooter and if they’re solely steppingstones to even bigger gun management efforts. In a press convention late final month, main gun management lawmakers admitted these payments usually are not solely targeted on what would have prevented the tragedy in Lewiston, however quite targeted on passing additional restrictive gun insurance policies. In hearings final week, Maine Gun Security Coalition activists mentioned that that is “solely the start” of the gun management they need to see carried out and demanded even additional motion.
Mainers from Kittery to Madawaska have voiced their considerations that the acute insurance policies being proposed don’t handle the underlying points in Maine, would disarm law-abiding residents, and are out-of-step with our proud gun-owning heritage. Why are we targeted on turning in any other case law-abiding Mainers into criminals for the straightforward act of proudly owning a legally bought firearm? Common background checks, which have been just lately rejected by Maine voters on the poll field, prohibit the power for law-abiding Mainers to lend a firearm to a member of the family. Ready durations would require victims of abuse in want of pressing self-dense to attend days earlier than receiving their lawfully bought firearm.
However these political figures aren’t simply pushing for restrictive insurance policies that, as crime statistics point out, don’t cut back violent crime. They’re touting polls, with out key particulars about who they surveyed, or cherry-picking statistics from research. These ways usually are not distinctive to Maine and have been utilized all through the nation to ship excessive gun management measures no matter their effectiveness.
As Michael Bloomberg and different billionaire gun management advocates as soon as once more ship of their political operatives and pump massive streams of cash into Maine to tip the scales, it’s important for gun house owners to get entangled and make their voices heard. Contact your lawmakers. Get entangled together with your native sportsman’s membership. Collectively we will discover a bipartisan resolution that addresses Maine’s issues with out infringing on the rights of law-abiding residents.
