One of Maine’s primary gun control advocate groups, the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, oversaw a gun-giveback program on Saturday at local police departments throughout southern Maine.
Despite the focus on gun safety, contractors working with MGSC and the Old Orchard Beach Police Department failed to practice basic gun safety when they attempted to saw a loaded blackpowder rifle, which led to the negligent discharge of the firearm.
Luckily, instead of injuring any bystanders, the musket round instead damaged two vehicles.
“As one of the firearms was being cut the weapon discharged expelling a round
through the barrel. The round was found to have struck two unoccupied vehicles
within the parking lot,” the Old Orchard Beach Police Department told the Maine Wire.
In mid-May, the Maine Gun Safety Coalition began promoting its “gun-giveback” event, which they claimed would allow people to anonymously hand over firearms and ammunition to local police stations.
The firearms received by the 16 participating stations were then consolidated to a few police stations across the state, where they were scheduled for destruction by another gun control group partnered with the Gun Safety Coalition.
That group, a far-left Swedish non-government organization called Humanium Metal, which is part of the larger IM Swedish Development Partner, allegedly specializes in destroying firearms and using their metal to create various everyday items and modern art installations.
The Old Orchard Beach police station was one location used for the destruction.
The firearm destruction at Old Orchard Beach was scheduled to take place on Monday, and officers from other stations arrived to deliver the firearms they had received.
Representatives of Humanium Metal were on site to begin destroying the guns.
The destruction of the forfeited guns was carried out by Humanium Metal technicians, who allegedly specialize in the safe disposal of firearms.
Police said that the firearm in question was a muzzle-loader, which was loaded with gunpowder and a bullet at the time of destruction.
[RELATED: “Gun Giveback” Activists Thank Mills for Signing Gun Control Bills…]
The heat or sparks caused by the sawing ignited the gunpowder and caused the gun to fire.
According to the press release, police then stepped in and shut down the destruction project.
It is unclear whether the destruction took place at a later date, or whether the firearms remain in police custody.
The Maine Wire asked Old Orchard Beach’s Deputy Chief David Hemmingway whether the “experts” the Maine Gun Safety Coalition hired to help with destroying the guns were vetted to determine their ability to safely handle firearms before the guns were handed over.
“We were not involved in the event organization or destruction of the weapons, other than providing our lot as a central location for Southern Maine departments to deliver their items. There were several similar locations organized through the state, as you may be aware,” said Hemmingway.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition did not respond to requests for comment regarding the negligent discharge of a firearm at their gun safety event.
“I think Maine Gun Safety Coalition should have to wait 72 hours before handling a firearm,” Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) told the Maine Wire.
“Leave the gun handling and gun policy to the professionals,” he said.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition also appears to have given out false information while promoting the failed event.
In the initial announcement, which came on May 13, the Maine Gun Safety Coalition promised that the gun giveback would be anonymous, suggesting that, even if the gun was acquired illegally or had been used in a crime, the person dropping it off would not risk legal consequences.
“Anyone in the state who has unwanted firearms can relinquish them to a participating police department anonymously during the event,” said the non-profit’s executive director Nacole Palmer in an email.
That claim was false.
According to records provided to the Maine Wire, police recorded the serial numbers of all firearms received, meaning that they could potentially find the legal purchaser of any given firearm, and could see if that firearm had been used in a crime.
In subsequent emails, Palmer did not claim that give-back would be anonymous.
A report on the gun-giveback from the left-wing News Center Maine, which did not mention the negligently discharged firearm or false claims from the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, said that participating police stations received “hundreds” of unwanted firearms.
The exact number of guns received under the program has not been verified by all of the police departments that participated in the event.
According to publicly available information, the following law enforcement agencies participated in the event: Bar Harbor, Brunswick, Buxton, Cape Elizabeth, Ellsworth, Falmouth, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, Mount Desert/Northeast Harbor, Old Orchard Beach, Pittsfield, Portland, Rockland, Sanford, Skowhegan, Westbrook, and Yarmouth.
The Maine Wire reached out to all participating police stations for a list of firearms received. The information obtained to date suggests that the event received a meager response, especially north of Augusta.
Data from Westbrook reveal that the city received only 11 “firearms” — but that number is somewhat misleading.
The police department recorded a shotgun barrel and receiver — not a functioning gun — as a firearm, and also counted a BB gun in their total.
Another gun dropped off in Westbrook was a historic artifact, a WWII Japanese bolt-action rifle, which was consigned to destruction by Humanium Metal.
A Somerset County resident who attended the drop-off locations in Skowhegan and Pittsfield said both events were sparsely attended, with representatives from the Maine Gun Safety Coalition departing before the conclusion of the events due to a lack of participation.
The Skowhegan event resulted in the forfeiture of several shotguns, two handguns, and a bucket of ammunition, while the Pittsfield location accepted two revolvers, including one that appeared to be an Italian-made antique.
“To check a muzzle-loading arm as loaded is as simple as using a marked rod, often stored on the arm itself, to determine the barrel’s depth,” said Rep. Donnie Ardell (R-Monticello).
“It is ironic that firearm was safer in the closet it came out of than in the hands of an organization called ‘Maine Gun Safety Coalition’ or their representative, particularly when several basic firearm safety rules are ignored,” said Ardell.
Ardell also questioned whether the negligent discharge may have amounted to a crime, as discharging a firearm near buildings can be a Class E misdemeanor in Maine.
He also noted that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ guidelines for the safe disposal of firearms recommend using an oxy/acetylene torch rather than a saw.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="28390 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=28390">12 Comments
how many guns are put aside to be sold by the sheriff and police departments in backroom deals is the real question!! what kind of chain of custody is recorded when these guns are dropped off to destruction? are they destroying guns that were used in a crime? are serial numbers checked to see if they are stolen? are rightfull owners of stolen firearms told their firearm was found? real questions people!
Look at who these people are and where they live (from their website). All liberal coastal nuts. Do you think any of them know anything about firearms or the 2nd amendment? Their only purpose is to take away your rights.
Maine Gun Safety Coalition Board of DirectorsCamilla Shannon, Yarmouth, Chair
Edward Walworth, MD, Lewiston, Vice-Chair
Lynn Ellis, Brunswick, Treasurer
Janice Vance, Kennebunk, Secretary
David Fitz, MD, Cumberland
Peter Fromuth, Yarmouth
Geoff Gratwick, MD, Bangor
Margaret Groban, South Portland
Peggy McGehee, Falmouth
Rebecca Millett, Cape Elizabeth
Victoria Morales, South Portland
Judi Richardson, South Portland
Wayne Richardson, South Portland
Joel Russ, Walpole
Mark Segar, South Freeport
Hillary Shende, Brunswick
David Souers, Friendship
Advisory Board MembersKatherine Ahrens, Yarmouth
Deborah Murray, Portland
Elizabeth Remage-Healey, Portland
Susan Talbot, MD, Falmouth
Pretty pathetic on their part to have a negligent discharge. Yet, not surprising, also makes the Police Department in Old Orchard look bad for not clearing the weapon first. Though again, “experts” messed up royally, must be related to ATF expert, who couldn’t remove a slide from a Glock.
As usual, the “Gun Safety Experts” seem to be expert at nothing but screwing the pooch.
God bless the maine wire!
“I think Maine Gun Safety Coalition should have to wait 72 hours before handling a firearm,” Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) told the Maine Wire.
Brilliant reply.
Yet another example of the piss poor firearm training of American law enforcement.
I can’t stop laughing at these idiots! The comment about them needing a 72 hr. ‘wait period’ is hilarious! These morons know nothing about firearms and should be banned from being near one!
A torch would have been less safe than a band saw
The reason the ATF recommends a torch is because a torch usually makes a ragged cut, making it more difficult to put the firearm back together than if the cut was a “clean” smooth cut.
Hilarious!
MGSC should be required to change their name. They should at least be made to eliminate the word safety. What a clown show!
With Sweden being flooded by African Muslim migrants and turning it into the rape capital of the world, you’d think Humanium Metal would reconsider their position on gun possession for personal protection. However, they are Leftist ideologues so that will never happen.