Jun. 11—AUGUSTA — Activists gathered at the State House Wednesday afternoon for a public hearing on a fall ballot measure that could make it easier to temporarily take firearms away from people in crisis.
Republican lawmakers and gun rights groups opposed to the citizens initiative demanded the hearing and threatened a lawsuit before Democrats agreed earlier this week to schedule the session.
The hearing will focus on the proposed red flag law, also known as an extreme risk protection order. If passed by voters in November, it would provide a pathway for family or household members, in addition to law enforcement, to petition a court to temporarily remove someone’s weapons.
Unlike Maine’s current yellow flag law, the proposal would eliminate the need for a mental health evaluation before a judge can order the temporary confiscation of weapons.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition gathered signatures from Maine voters to qualify the question for the November ballot after a similar measure, proposed in the wake of the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting, failed to get approval from Maine lawmakers last year.
And while lawmakers held a public hearing last month on the only other citizen initiative currently up for consideration, Democratic leaders of the Judiciary Committee said a hearing on the red flag proposal was not required by the Maine Constitution and was not necessary because lawmakers were sending the question to voters.
Republicans and gun rights supporters opposed to the measure pushed back on the decision from the Democratic committee leaders, pointing to a 2019 state law that says all valid citizens initiatives must receive a public hearing unless the requirement is formally waived by lawmakers.
Democrats reversed course and announced the hearing would be held earlier this week.
This story will be updated.
Copy the Story Link