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Gun safety group gathers signatures to get red flag law on Maine state ballot

Gun safety group gathers signatures to get red flag law on Maine state ballot

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio, Associated Press


A group has gathered enough signatures to get a red flag law on the Maine state ballot in November.

A red flag law allows both family members and law enforcement to petition a court to remove weapons from someone considered a risk to themselves or others.

Nacole Palmer with the Maine Gun Safety Coalition told our info partners at CBS 13 news the push came in the wake of the Lewiston mass shooting.

But the group Gun Owners of Maine say Maine’s existing yellow flag law is adequate to keep Mainers safe and provides an opportunity for mental health issues to be addressed, unlike a red flag law.

They say the yellow flag law has already been used more than 500 times since the Lewiston shooting in October of 2023.

The Maine Legislature could vote to enact the law but attempts to get similar laws approved by lawmakers in the past have failed.

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