Ten – that’s how many bullets Democrats think Mainers’ firearm magazines should hold.
Twenty-one – that’s how old Democrats think Mainers should be before they can obtain a concealed carry permit.
AUGUSTA – Despite President Barack Obama’s incontestable failure to force his sweeping national gun-control agenda through Congress, Maine Democrats are continuing their push for controversial state-level gun-control legislation.
During a Monday afternoon meeting of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, state lawmakers considered two Democrat-backed proposals to restrict the purchase and use of firearms in Maine.
[RELATED: Angus King: “Pretty Disappointing Obama’s gun-control bill died…]
The first proposal, L.D. 997, An Act To Establish Restrictions on Ammunition Feeding Devices, would prohibit the sale or transfer of firearm magazines – or, in Democratic parlance, “ammunition feeding devices” – with a holding capacity greater than ten bullets.
Sen. Stan J. Gerzofsky (D-Cumberland) and Reps. Seth A. Berry (D-Bowdoinham), Mark N. Dion (D-Portland) and Michel A. Lajoie (D-Lewiston) have co-sponsored L.D. 997, which was introduced by Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Cumberland).
The second proposal, L.D. 1240, introduced by Rep. Dion, would raise the minimum age for obtaining a concealed weapon carry permit from 18 to 21.
House Republicans issued a statement opposing these and other Democrat-backed gun-control bills following the committee hearing.
“If history has taught us anything, it’s that violent criminals don’t follow the rules, but law-abiding citizens must,” said Assistant House Republican Leader Alexander Willette (R-Mapleton).
“Why place further restrictions that only serve to help criminals by disadvantaging good Mainers who simply want to be able to protect their families?”
“Bills that limit magazine capacities and increase the age for concealed-carry from 18 to 21 encroach on our personal freedoms and hurt the ability of law-abiding Mainers to protect themselves,” said House Republican Leader Kenneth Fredette (R-Newport).
Last week on the national scene, U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) voted against the Lautenberg-Bloomenthal ban on high capacity magazines and in favor of the Barrasso Amendment, which, similar to Maine Rep. Corey Wilson’s (R-Augusta) L.D. 345, protects the personal information of concealed handgun permit holders.
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