A proposed “red-flag” bill will not be signed into law this session despite support from Cumberland County’s District Attorney (DA) who received funding from Democrat mega-donor George Soros.
[RELATED: “Red Flag Laws” Are a Set Up for Gun Confiscation: Bobby Charles…]
“I am told that the Red Flag Gun Confiscation proposal will not run in the legislature this evening, due to a lack of support. (Rare good news!),” said Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin) on Monday, the last day of the 131st legislature.
The legislative session closed after Monday’s House and Senate proceedings, meaning that supporters will need to wait until the next legislative session to make another attempt to push through the “red-flag” law, which allows the state to seize someone’s firearms without due process.
“I fear a future in which those targeted by this law are not those who pose a physical danger to their neighbor, but a political danger to those in power,” said Sen. Brakey in the speech he prepared to oppose the bill if it was considered, “It may not be the intention of supporters of this legislation to swing open the door for discrimination, but that is exactly what the broad and subjective language of this bill will do.”
Brakey was concerned that the new “red-flag” laws will allow the state to remove Second Amendment rights without due process, and feared that the state will eventually use the law to target groups it deems undesirable.
For Cumberland County DA Jacqueline Sartorious, the lack of due process in the “red-flag” law is a reason to support it rather than a cause for concern.
“When given an option, we prefer a straightforward process over a complicated one. This bill takes into consideration the emergency nature of the circumstances and has much better enforcement and prevention tools than the current law.” said Cumberland County DA Jacqueline Sartorious.
Sartorious, along with Aroostook County DA Todd Collins and Kennebec and Somerset County DA Meghan Maloney, who signed on to her testimony, believe that the process of removing someone’s Second Amendment rights should be more streamlined.
[RELATED: Maine Democrats Sneak in Last-Minute Gun Grab Measure…]
Currently, Maine employs a “yellow-flag” law, which allows someone to lose firearm rights if he is deemed an extreme risk and after a legal process, requiring a mental examination.
“The current [removal] process requires significant prosecutor time to accommodate procedural interests of gun owners through [a] needlessly cumbersome process.” said Sartorious.
According to Sartorious, the current “yellow-flag” laws require too much effort from prosecutors before allowing the state to remove someone’s constitutional rights, and advocated for the new law, which allows those rights to be removed based on the mere testimony of a family member.
Currently, a family member can contact police, saying that someone poses a risk to himself or others, and police will then investigate.
If police believe the threat to be credible, they will bring the suspected risk to a medical professional, who will assess the person’s mental health.
If the medical examiner agrees with law enforcement that the person poses a threat, police will apply for a court order.
Only then can his Second Amendment rights be revoked.
Under the law supported by Sartorious, LD 2283, a family member can report concerns to a court which, in some cases, can revoke a person’s firearm rights without needing to notify him beforehand.
The new process would not require any investigation from law enforcement, or a mental health examination.
“[The current law] simply focuses unduly on mental health, although it is well-established as not a precondition for most gun violence and, most often, mass shootings,” said Sartorious.
Sartorious has been identified by the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF) as one of the 27 DAs across the country who received significant funding from Democrat mega-donor George Soros.
[RELATED: George Soros-backed DA Takes Office in Cumberland County…]
During her 2022 campaign, Sartorious received $384,810 in funding from Fair and Just Prosecution and the Maine Justice and Public Safety PAC, two organizations funded by Soros.
As is typical among Soros backed DAs, Sartorious has been a supporter of numerous far left positions, including gun control, and soft on crime policies.
Sartorious has previously advocated for a policy which would either not charge anyone under 25, or dismiss their cases depending on the crime committed.
The proposed “red flag” laws have become a high-profile issue following the October 25 shooting in Lewiston Maine in which Robert Card murdered 18 people.
Gun control advocates have used the incident to push for gun-control measures like “red-flag” laws.
Although Democrats claim that the shooting proves the current laws insufficient, the independent commission setup by Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) to investigate the tragedy, however, found that Card triggered the “yellow-flag” laws, and that a failure in enforcement, not the law itself, prevented the removal of Card’s firearms.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="27508 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=27508">4 Comments
Good, why should law abiding citizens have their rights removed because one individual who sought help and people were not doing job
No surprise a Soros politician would support this Red Flag confiscation. as always as soon as the Marxists have to do their job they want to ‘streamline.’
“The current [removal] process requires significant prosecutor time to accommodate procedural interests of gun owners through [a] needlessly cumbersome process.” said Sartorious.
I would not trust her to watch my cat, let only prosecute anyone.
Don’t worry. The lefties won’t let this stop them from trying again, and again, and again, and again. Marxists are very good at patience and playing the long game.
…thank you, Jesus!