Maine Governor Approves New Gun Laws, Mental Health Support Following Lewiston Shootings

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law a set of gun safety laws passed by lawmakers after the deadliest mass shooting in state history, expanding background checks for private gun sales, strengthening the “flag” law “yellow” state, criminalizing the transfer of weapons to prohibited persons and expanding mental health crisis care.

The governor told lawmakers during her State of the State address that doing nothing was not an option after an Army reservist with an assault rifle killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in Lewiston on Oct. 25.

GOVERNOR KILLS MAINE PROPOSAL TO END ‘THREE STRIKES’ SMALL THEFT LAW

The bills drew opposition from Republicans, who accused Democrats, who control both legislative chambers, of using the tragedy to advance proposals, some of which had previously been defeated. Mills said Friday that the proposals would improve public safety while respecting the state’s long traditions of gun ownership and outdoor heritage.

“This law represents important and meaningful progress, without trampling on anyone’s rights, and will better protect public safety by implementing reasonable reforms and significantly expanding mental health resources,” Mills said.

The new law signed by the governor does not require universal background checks, but it does for people who advertise the sale of a gun on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or elsewhere. Sellers would be required to conduct a background check using business-licensed companies such as LL Bean or Cabela’s.

The legislation includes changes to the state’s yellow flag law that allows police to evaluate an individual, place them in protective custody for a mental health evaluation and hold a hearing before a judge to take guns away from someone in a psychiatric crisis.

The new law allows police to go directly to a judge to request a warrant, speeding up the process. Removes an obstacle when an officer was hindered by the Lewiston gunman’s refusal to answer the door for a face-to-face meeting required under current law. Members of law enforcement have said in testimony about the shootings that the state’s existing yellow flag law was cumbersome and difficult to enforce.

State Republicans remain opposed to the bill, specifically because of the expanded background checks proposal, Maine House Republican leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham said Friday.

“House Republicans have expressed continued support for strengthening Maine’s so-called yellow flag law and mental health services, but oppose the governor’s bill,” Faulkingham said. “The unenforceable background check provision will only create confusion among law-abiding Mainers.”

Supporters of expanded gun control laws, who have advocated for passage of the new standards for months, described the rules’ passage as a victory. Twenty-two states now have a background check law, said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.

Advocates also said they are hopeful that other new gun measures passed by lawmakers in Maine will soon become law.

“Today is a victory for the gun violence prevention movement and a demonstration of what Mainers can accomplish to keep our communities safe when we work together,” said Vicki Farsaci, a volunteer with the Maine chapter of Moms Demand Action. .

The bill signed by the governor also strengthens legal standards for prosecution and penalties to deter others from selling guns to prohibited buyers, making it a felony. The governor’s office said in a statement that the new approach “will mean that transfers of firearms to trusted family members or friends, as is common in Maine, will remain unchanged, but will incentivize checks against the (National Instant Verification System Records) for private and unannounced sales to unknown persons through the threat of increased risk of prosecution and imprisonment.

Mills’ approval of the weapons proposals came a day after a special commission she convened interviewed Card’s fellow reservists, who raised warnings about Card’s increasingly erratic behavior. Card was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following the mass shooting after an extensive search.

One of the fellow reservists interviewed Thursday, Sean Hodgson, told his superiors in September: “I think he’s going to break out and do a mass shooting.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Mills also proposed creating a new violence and injury prevention program that would require the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as a clearinghouse for data from law enforcement, hospitals, schools and other sources to inform public policy decisions.

Meanwhile, his proposal for a network of crisis centers would build on the first such facility already up and running in Portland and a second being created in central Maine.