Maine Moms Demand Action Criticize the Maine Legislative Council for Failing to Advance Gun Safety Legislation for Next Session

AUGUSTA, Maine — Volunteers with the Maine chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today criticized the members of the Maine Legislative Council for failing to advance several gun safety policies for consideration during the 2020 legislative session.

“Every other day, a person in Maine dies from a gunshot, meanwhile a small group of legislators today blocked gun safety legislation from even being discussed in 2020,” said Nacole Palmer, a volunteer with Maine chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “The policies raised in the council are backed by evidence and can save lives, but our lawmakers let politics stand in the way. We’re grateful to those who defended public safety in Maine, but we fear the results of today’s vote will have deadly consequences.”

Several gun safety policies were not approved for consideration in today’s legislative council vote, including:

• School Safety — the rejected bill would have created a statewide threat assessment program, funded physical safety improvements for school districts, and educated Mainers on responsible firearm storage. 
  • The components of the bill include evidence-based strategies that provide ways to intervene before shootings take place on school grounds. Additionally, responsible gun storage is a critical part of preventing gunfire on school grounds — the majority of school shooters under the age of 18 obtained their guns from their own home, or the homes of relatives or friends.
• Child access prevention (CAP)—  the rejected bill would have added irresponsible storage of a loaded firearm to the state’s child endangerment law. 
  • Approximately 4.6 million children live in a household with at least one gun that is stored loaded and unlocked. States with CAP laws saw an 8 percent decrease in overall suicide rates, and an 11 percent decrease in firearm suicide rates, among adolescents aged 14 to 17.
• Prohibiting guns in daycares — The rejected bill would have prohibited firearms in daycare centers, nursery schools, and other child care centers. 
  • Currently, Maine law allows guns into these sensitive places. Firearms are the second leading cause of death for children and teens and exposure to gun violence can have far-reaching consequences on children’s mental and physical health.