Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) doubled down on her opposition to the upcoming red-flag law referendum question on Friday with an opinion piece appearing in the Portland Press Herald.
“Our law has been preventing suicide, getting people help and saving lives every day. But this successful law is at risk from a referendum question on the Nov. 4 ballot. Question 2, the so-called red flag measure, has been billed as strengthening gun safety measures. In reality, it will undermine the safety of the public,” said Gov. Mills in her op-ed.
While Democrats in Maine’s legislature tried and failed to implement red-flag gun control laws in the most recent legislative session, the specter of the gun-grab policy still looms after the Maine Gun Safety Coalition gathered enough signatures for the law to appear on November’s ballot as a statewide referendum.
Maine currently has “yellow-flag” laws that allow firearms to be confiscated after a police petition and a mental health evaluation determine that a person is a danger to himself or others.
The current laws came about as a compromise between gun rights and gun control activists, allowing authorities to confiscate firearms from dangerous individuals via an extreme risk protection order, while still requiring a form of due process.
The red-flag laws proposed in the referendum, ballot question two, would significantly streamline the process, allowing guns to be confiscated based on a petition from family members rather than the police and without the need for a mental health evaluation.
In her opinion piece, Mills celebrated the success of the yellow flag laws, which have been used over 1,100 times, and warned against undermining them by implementing red flag laws instead.
“Our law is not some cookie cutter measure copied and pasted from another state. It was written by and for Maine people, carefully crafted to include important due process safeguards that protect both public safety and the rights of the individual,” said Mills.
She pointed out that the yellow flag law won unanimous Senate support and nearly unanimous support in the House.
The Governor revealed that, across the state, the yellow-flag laws are used more than once a day, far more often than red-flag laws are used in other states.
She warned that red-flag laws place the burden on family members rather than law enforcement to report someone who poses a danger, which could put people close to the dangerous person at risk.
Law enforcement, Mills pointed out, is better equipped to navigate the system than most Mainers and is thus better equipped to ensure that firearms are removed from dangerous, mentally ill individuals.
Mills also raised concerns about the constitutionality of a red-flag law, which provides significantly less due process before removing someone’s Second Amendment rights, making it more likely to be challenged and struck down.
“As a constitutional matter, Question 2 is suspect. As a practical matter, it is confusing, incompatible with our current law and puts both police and civilians in greater danger,” said Mills.
“Our law is saving lives every day. Let’s not risk that,” she added.
Mills’ longstanding opposition to red-flag laws is sure to anger many in her party who would prefer to see far stricter gun control laws, but it is likely to appeal to more moderate voters who don’t fall on the extremes of either side of the gun control debate.
Though Mills cannot run for another term as governor, her push against the radical red-flag laws comes amid growing speculation that she is planning to run against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
[RELATED: AP Sources: “Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills Taking Steps To Run For U.S. Senate in 2026”…]
Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that Mills has been making calls to potential campaign managers, according to anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
A more moderate appearance would likely benefit Mills in a run against Collins, who has historically won as a moderate Republican, willing to vote with Democrats against her party on some issues.
If Mills does run, she would likely also have to overcome her radical track record as governor on far more issues than just gun control, including extreme pushes for climate policies, radically permissive abortion laws, ongoing support for gender ideology for children, and allowing males to compete in girls’ sports.
