A signature gathering campaign is underway to try and get a red flag law on the ballot after the Lewiston mass shooting.
It was announced Thursday by The Maine Gun Safety Coalition.
The effort comes after a bill in the State Legislature this spring to establish a red flag law never gained traction.
Red flag laws, also known as extreme-risk protection orders, allow family members as well as police to initiate the process of restricting access to weapons for a person in crisis.
The Press Herald reports Maine has the country’s only yellow flag law, which requires police to take someone into protective custody.
21 states and Washington, D.C. currently have red flag laws.
Supporters of the Maine ballot effort says it would give families an option to protect a loved one from harming themselves or others. Opponents say red flag laws lack of due process and infringe on Second Amendment rights.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills has said there’s no need for a red flag law, contending that the current extreme-risk protection order law works.
