Maine: Legislative Session Adjourns with the Defeat of All Anti-Gun Legislation in Augusta

The 2013 legislative session adjourned this week after facing the greatest threats to the Second Amendment never before seen in the Pine Tree State.  With your help, all of the anti-gun bills proposed during this session were defeated, and important Right-to-Carry confidentiality legislation was enacted into law.  A special thanks to all dedicated NRA members and Second Amendment supporters who contacted their elected state officials on gun-related legislation.

Please click on the links below to see how your elected officials voted on these various measures:

Pro-Gun Legislation Enacted:

LD 345, important Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) confidentiality legislation, passed by a 27-8 vote in the state Senate and by a 106-40 vote in the state House.  This legislation went into effect when signed into law by Governor Paul LePage (R) on April 26.

Pro-Gun Legislation Defeated:

LD 660 would have allowed a person who is a resident of Maine and is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing a firearm, to carry concealed without first obtaining a Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP).  By a 74-73 vote, the state House accepted the Ought Not to Pass recommendation from the Joint Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on LD 660 and the measure failed in the state Senate by a 14-21 vote.

Anti-Gun Legislation Defeated:

LD 265 would have repealed an important self-defense measure enacted in 2011, which prohibits an employer from banning an employee with a valid Permit to Carry Concealed Firearms from keeping a firearm in the employee's vehicle as long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is not visible.  LD 265 was defeated by a 15-20 vote in the state Senate, and failed in the state House on a voice vote.

LD 267 would have criminalized private transfers by mandating background investigations for all firearm transfers performed at gun shows.  LD 267 was defeated in the state Senate by a 16-19 vote and in the state House by a 69-73 vote.

LD 1173 would have repealed an important self-defense measure that allows individuals who have obtained a CHP to carry a firearm in state parks and historic sites and was defeated on a voice vote in the state Senate and House.

LD 1240 would have restricted private firearm transfers, loans and sales by establishing a system of fines and unjustly burdening law-abiding citizens.  This legislation passed in the state House by a 78-71 vote and in the state Senate by an 18-17 vote after state Senator John Tuttle (D-3) reversed his vote on the last day of session to side with the anti-gun faction.  Governor Paul LePage (R) vetoed this misguided legislation and the state House did not have enough votes to override the Governor’s veto.

The NRA thanks Governor LePage and all state legislators who stood up for our firearms freedom and voted against all misguided legislation during the first year of Maine’s 126^th legislative session.