Maine: Legislature Votes Down Extreme Gun Confiscation Measure

[Charlie T Waite]

This week, the Maine Senate voted “ought not to pass” on Legislative Document 1068, a gun confiscation measure that carried over from last year.  Thankfully, this measure is now dead and will not move forward this session.

Legislative Document 1068 sought to create two new sections of Maine law, which outline the power of the court in issuing orders or consent agreements for protection from harassment, and authorizes the surrender of firearms.  This bill is redundant and unnecessary, burdens Second Amendment rights, and mandated the surrender and confiscation of constitutionally protected property without a hearing and without notice.

Due process limits restrictions on constitutional rights to only serious convictions and adjudications that provide procedural protections to the accused, which results in more reliable proceedings.  The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted when sufficient protections are in place.

Thank you to NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters who contacted their lawmakers in opposition to this extreme measure.  Also, thank you to those legislators who voted against the passage of LD 1068.