Maine’s Democratic legislators have returned once again to one of their favorite legislative priorities: cracking down on Second Amendment rights. Multiple bills came before the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, including a ban on magazines that hold more than ten rounds.
[RELATED: Maine Liberals Seek New Second Amendment Restrictions, Including 5-Round Limit…]
“From the Las Vegas Music Festival to the Pulse Night Club in Orlando, to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, to Lewiston, Maine, the common denominator connecting these and dozens of other mass shootings in the United States is that the gunmen loaded their firearms with large capacity magazines,” said Rep. Matthew Beck (D-South Portland), presenting his bill during a public hearing on Wednesday.
Rep. Beck’s bill, LD 1109, drew co-sponsorships from six Democrats and would make the possession, sale, or purchase of any “large-capacity ammunition feeding device” illegal. This includes any device, such as a magazine, that can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition or that can be “easily” modified to hold over ten rounds.
Despite the bill’s definition of a high-capacity feeding device, magazines ranging from 10-30 rounds, depending on the type of firearm, are often considered and sold as standard capacity.
The bill provides a 180-day grace period for gun owners to hand in their magazines before they face potential Class D misdemeanor charges if they do not comply. Compliance would likely be extremely difficult or even impossible to enforce, as the state does not have records of the magazines owned by every Mainer.
It does include exceptions for law enforcement, licensed dealers transporting the magazines for sale in a different state, and active-duty military personnel. Beck said he might be willing to amend the text to include an exception for shooters who participate in recreational shooting competitions, though that was not included in the current bill.
The highly controversial bill, along with the other firearm-related bills considered on Wednesday, drew hundreds of testimonies from both gun control and gun rights activists.
“I am also a gun owner and responsible hunter, but I believe in limits to my
Second Amendment Rights. We will keep trying to save lives. Still, we implore this
Legislature and every subsequent Legislature to recognize that the 2nd Amendment can
and should be balanced against each life taken by gun violence,” said Anne Sedlack, Director of Advocacy for the Maine Medical Association, testifying in support of the ban.
The Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics also supported the ban, stating that it is “common sense” and asserting that it would decrease high-fatality shootings.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics supports evidence-based and common-sense gun safety legislation that can help address the epidemic of gun violence – now the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. We believe this legislation meets that goal,” said Joe Anderson, speaking for the health organization.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition, one of Maine’s most prominent anti-Second Amendment groups, known for overseeing the negligent discharge of a black powder rifle into parked vehicles, added its voice in support of the ban.
[RELATED: Maine ‘Gun Safety’ Coalition Oversees Negligent Firearm Discharge at Gun-Giveback…]
“Two other critical bills before you today would restrict rapid fire modification devices,
which includes a common-sense restoration of the restriction on machine gun
conversion devices, called bump stocks, and a restriction on large capacity
magazines, a proposal that s been passed in many other states to successfully deter
would-be mass shooters,” said the organization, testifying on the magazine restrictions along with a bill to redefine the term “machine gun.”
Equality Maine, a far-left LGBTQ activist group that pushes radical gender ideology for minors, also testified on the bill, claiming, without evidence, that the LGBTQ community is disproportionately affected by gun violence.
“The combination of a lack of adequate laws to prevent gun violence and animosity towards the LGBTQ+ community has led to the loss of lives as well as immense harm and trauma caused by violence,” said Equality Maine.
While many Mainers and organizations supported the ban on “high-capacity” magazines, there was also no shortage of opponents supporting firearm rights.
“Large-capacity is a fine term for capturing the attention of the hand-wringing,
pearl-clutching busybodies that the anti-gun crowd target, implying increased danger
due to increased size,” said Richard Smith of Beals.
“No gun laws can make the world a safer place, no limits on ammunition capacity, can
eliminate danger. The only thing LD 1109 can do is infringe on the rights of Mainers,
which is all it is really intended to do in the first place,” he added.
“With no proven benefits, legislation arbitrarily limiting the capacity of magazines places an undue burden on law-abiding citizens. It requires responsible rearm owners to purchase additional and expensive equipment for their rearms to be operational and comply with legislation. Elected officials should vote ought not to pass, and move on with fixing some of the real issues,” said Jeremy Burlingham of Waldo.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation also added its voice to the opposition.
“Maine legislators have decided that anything over 10 rounds is too high and thus any law-abiding citizen in possession of a larger magazine will be involved in criminal acts. What exactly is the basis for the arbitrary standard of no more than l0 round magazines? Magazines come in many different capacities and serve many different purposes, such as home defense, collecting, and participation in the shooting sports,” said Jake McGuigan speaking on behalf of the organization.
“Instead of wasting state resources on legislation that will only make legislators feel like they did something, how about making sure the necessary checks and balances are in place to deal with all the warning signs present in many of these perpetrators,” he added.
Sheriff Scott Nichols argued against the bill, claiming that it would violate a federal ruling and negatively affect the vast majority of law-abiding gun owners in the state.
“The court ruled that Heller established a test regarding arms in “common use” today, not in the past. If semiautomatic rifles and handguns that accept detachable magazines are in common use today, they are protected. Their ubiquity, and their being ‘in common use’, confirms their protected status under the Second Amendment,” said Nichols.
He also questioned how the state would compensate gun owners for the magazines they would be required to surrender.
The other gun-grab measures considered on Wednesday included Rep. Samuel Zager’s (D-Portland) LD 1126 and Sen. Anne Carney’s (D-Cumberland) LD 677.
LD 1126 would prohibit the sale or possession of unfinished firearm frames or receivers that do not include a serial number, in an attempt to crack down on the untraceable “ghost guns” often targeted by gun control advocates.
LD 677 would redefine the term “machine gun” in Maine law to include any parts that could increase the fire rate of semi-automatic rifles, such as bump stocks that use the force of recoil to help the user pull the trigger faster.
The Republican-led LD 953, sponsored by Sen. David Haggan (R-Penobscot) and considered at the same hearing, proposes an alternate and far less broad redefinition of “machine gun” that only includes firearms or firearm parts that fire or allow a gun to be fired more than once with a single pull of the trigger. That definition would, unlike the Democrat bill, exclude devices such as bump stocks that simply increase the rate at which a trigger can be pulled.
The new gun-grab bills continue a trend from the previous legislative session, inspired by the October 2023 Lewiston shooting, that saw Democrats pushing harder to restrict Second Amendment rights.
That session saw the passage of a new 72-hour waiting period bill that requires a buyer to wait three days after the purchase of a firearm to actually receive it.
[RELATED: Federal Judge Issues Injunction Against Maine’s 72-Hour Waiting Period after Purchasing a Firearm…]
The waiting period law has since faced an injunction from a federal judge.
In the world of Equality Maine Democrats a five shot revolver will be considered LARGE Capacity .
The LGBTQ Crowd is now officially taking over the State of Maine .
Have they ever heard the saying “ from my cold dead hands “ ?
Believe it .
Too bad nobody in Maine will comply!
“Shall not be infringed” means Maine insane gun grabbers can go fuck themselves!
Why is it when Democrats suggest something (ANYTHING) is common sense, it is never common and always nonsensical!
When the government tries to restrick gun rights, it’s proof positive the need for thise gun rights!
The Second Amendment was written specifically to protects US from thise who woukd deny us thise rights! Namely, the Socialist Democrats in Augusta!
We are FREE CITIZENS, not the subservient peasents of the Democrat Elites!
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ.
Let’s face it folks, none of us are gonna comply. As most of us know this is just the beginning of taking our guns rights all together. Next comes the registration, then mandatory training and permits and so on and so forth until they’re completely gone altogether. Once again, the Democrats are proposing what they want Maine to be versus what we want Maine to be. Every year for the rest of our lives, these idiots are gonna pull Robert Card out thier ass and run these gun laws down our throats. Our state legislators are completely out of touch with the people that live here. Fortunately there are two high profile, Supreme Court cases coming up regarding gun, bans and high capacity magazines that’ll end this bullshit once and for all. The cases are Snope v. Brown and Ocean State Tactical v. Rhode Island. These two cases are pivotal in stopping the Democratic states’ gun grab and reversing the nonsense.
All this will do is increase firearms magazine sales in New Hampshire.
Again, delusional touchy feely foolishness from the same fearful and fearmongering weather hoaxers who do not know what a woman is……….and we are going to go along to get along with the gun grabbing? Not in this lifetime.
It never ends with these democrats, trying to take away Mainers rights! And the lgbt crowd saying they feel threatened, please, they have more guns than anyone! Nothing scarier than a trans with a gun! C’mon man!
In Maine, where and what is the reason(s) to justify a 10 round ban for law abiding citizens? Is it because Maine has the lowest incidences of gun related crime in the US? I also highly question the statement by Anne Sedlack being a “gun owner and a hunter”..just like when Kamala Harris was asked if she owned a gun, she said “Yes. I own a Glock'” The next question I would have asked her would have been, “What Glock model is it?” These people are nothing more than seeking to pass a bill where there is no problem, like the 3 day waiting period, for “suicide prevention”.
I think next up on their anti-gun agenda will be a RED FLAG LAW. Maine already has a YELLOW FLAG LAW, which makes the person who has it potentially filed against them (Robert Card), see a psychiatrist to determine if they’re mentally competent, and then confiscate their guns. (The police failed to follow through on that one and look what happened). Red flag is anyone with a beef against someone can complain, the police will confiscate the guns, and you’ll never get them back. Guilty before proof of innocence. They’ll do anything to get rid of guns.
I have plenty of mags. I will not be destroying or turning them in.
The honest Dems, if there is such a thing anymore, know this is unconstitutional and that it will fail but the gun “control” rhetoric is very useful to them. It allows them to virtue signal, feel good about themselves, and deflect from the very controversial and bad policy they have promoted on so many fronts.
Don’t expect much compliance but do expect more speechification. If they were serious about ending gun violence they would be enforcing current laws against criminals instead of chasing innocent law abiding citizens who have done nothing wrong.
If they are successful in making this a felony then they had better be ready to build more prisons because half the population would become criminals overnight.
“now the leading cause of death for children and teens” Teen means 19 and under, children fits in that same category but sounds better. This is inner city gang bangers of the Democrat party on Democrat assistance. Stop with the scare tactics. Maine has more guns per capita and is one of the safest states, unless you keep importing illegals. It’s not magazine capacity, it’s mental capacity.
Unfortunate no one mentioned article 16 of Maine’s constitution
Government policies regarding mental health are directly responsible for the mass shootings in this country. If the government really cared they would bring back mental health institutions and not stigmatize them. But folks in Augusta and academia prefer these folks live among us. Shuffling the streets of our cities high on drugs and being vagrants to business owners. This is somehow better for them. to eventually freeze to death and wind on the medical examiners table. The party of compassion right.
The GOP needs to do a 1 page Law that says ANY politician signing onto a PROPOSED Law that violates 2A should be immediately arrested and charged with Treason, found guilty & then punished appropriately. Tired of this lawlessness in Augusta & DC.
That’s not how you handle it.
follicular test for narcotics – if you’ve ever abused any, no gun for you, Bub.
current gun owners tested immediately
this simple action would end so much gun violence as well as narcotics traffickinh
When with the stroke of a pen the Gov’t can take away your rights , you don’t have rights , You have permissions .
How much money that we don’t have will mills spend on this in court before the NRA bitch slaps her back to the hole she came from?
THEY DON’T WORK. READ THIS:
https://www.concealedcarry.com/law/magazine-capacity-limitations/
People: Please realize, the Maine state constitution is WAY better than the Second Amendment!
Article 1, section 16: “Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall never be questioned.”
Well, here it is…. I predict this is the issue that will end with Maine’s domestic terrorist Marxo-fascist democrat tyrant politicians being stuffed in shallow graves in the Maine woods.
LOL! Good luck finding any Maine state or local police who will enforce this BS….
Death to demonrat tyrants.
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Gun control, abortion, barely veiled wealth transfer insinuations – can’t the Ds come up with something a little more reality-based and not just the same old crap?
To Jill The Jackoff
Bet it doesent include law enforcement and any other government.Only the peasants weapons are being restricted of course not the governmen tterrorists armed to the teeth with automatic weapons drones, explosives and other military weapons and equipment so they can enforce their tyranny on a disarmed population.