Thursday saw an array of anti-gun bills debated in public hearings before the Maine State Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, but an intriguing outlier came in the form of a proposal from a Piscataquis County Republican who believes non-violent felons who’ve served their sentences should have a shot at getting their Second Amendment rights restored.
Setting the table for what some Augusta insiders called “Gun Day” in the Judiciary Committee were two measures by Freeport Democrat Rep. Melanie Sachs to destroy “forfeited” (read: seized) firearms — which she promoted with a glint in her eye — and another to prevent the auctioning of state surplus firearms. Due to a drafting error; however, Rep. Sachs asked the committee to vote “ought not to pass” on that bill, which an outdoorsman might call coming to a hunt without counting your cartridges first.
There were also measures by Boothbay Democrat Rep. Holly Stover to require gun dealers to hand out pamphlets on the health hazards posed by firearms, and Brunswick Democrat Rep. Poppy Arford to ban firearms in certain municipal buildings.
But then it got interesting.
Rep. Chad Perkins (R-Dover-Foxcroft) presented his bill LD 1009, An Act to Restore Full Civil Rights to Possess Firearms to Persons Previously Convicted of Certain Nonviolent Felony Crimes, in a speech so tightly crafted and delivered the committee chair noted afterwards that he hasn’t even paused for breath.
A former law enforcement officer, Rep. Perkins recalled how a citizen had once helped him apprehend an unruly subject and when he got talking to the Good Samaritan afterwards, he learned he was a convicted felon because of a poor decision he’d made in his youth to break into a camp. Because of this, the man had never since been able to handle, own or furnish a firearm and couldn’t go hunting with his grandson.
The man had paid his debt to society and was considered a pillar of the community, Perkins said. Stripping him of his constitutional right for life, he said, seemed overly harsh and not commensurate with a non-violent crime that had put no one in danger.
Over the course of his service in public safety, Perkins said he had encountered others like this man. Given his perspective, as a former officer of the law charged with upholding the peace, Perkins’ testimony on his bill — which was compelling.
Perkins also noted how his bill was consistent with recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, including the 2022 Bruen decision which struck down what it found to be New York state’s overly-restricting licensing requirements. In that decision, justices noted how the definition of felon has changed since the early days of America when it was reserved for “heinous acts” to the modern sense in which, as one book describes, every American commits three felonies a day.
“This is a step in the right direction for those that have paid their debt to society. Even Felons can vote in Maine because it is considered a basic right. This bill has strict guidelines for restoration of rights along with a 10 year waiting period. Should a old man or woman not be able to defend themselves for something they did decades ago?” Sanford City Councilor Jonathan Martell testified.
“We believe there are some individuals, as clearly outlined in this process, who have paid the price for mistakes and/or missteps earlier on in their life, and deserve a chance at the restoration of their rights,” wrote Gun Owners of Maine President Laura Whitcomb in support of the measure.
Others, like the Criminal Law Advisory Council (CLAC) and a former prosecutor, wrote to the committee of their nuanced opposition to the bill.
In questioning Perkins about his bill, committee members appeared open and positive towards it. Rep. David Sinclair (D-Bath) asked if it wouldn’t be easier to just do away with the felony classification of many crimes, but Perkins said he would not support that.
The committee will now take up Perkins’ bill and others in a future work session.
