Gabby Giffords Urges Maine Governor Mills to Act on Gun Safety
Expanded background checks, waiting periods, bump stock ban are on Mills’s desk to sign
Washington DC — Today, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, founder of the national gun violence prevention organization GIFFORDS, urged Maine Governor Janet Mills to sign three gun safety bills on her desk.
The Maine legislature recently passed background checks on all advertised gun sales, a 72-hour waiting period, and a ban on devices such as bump stocks that convert semiautomatic weapons into machine guns. These are commonsense, popular measures that will keep Mainers safe while practicing the state’s long tradition of hunting and responsible gun ownership.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
“Governor Janet Mills has the opportunity to take clear and direct action to honor the victims and survivors of the tragic mass shooting in Lewiston. In the aftermath of a shooting that shocked Mainers and the country, GIFFORDS stood with local advocates and demanded the legislature strengthen Maine’s gun laws. Lawmakers listened, and now it’s time for Governor Mills to follow through. The three gun safety bills that need Governor Mills’s signature are commonsense, popular, evidence-based solutions that would save lives from gun violence. I am urging Governor Mills to listen to Mainers who are counting on her courage and fortitude, and sign all of these bills into law.”
GIFFORDS is calling for Governor Mills to sign three gun safety bills:
- Expanded background checks (LD 2224) would require background checks on all advertised gun sales. A loophole in Maine’s current laws allows someone to purchase a gun from an unlicensed seller without a background check.
- A 72-hour waiting period (LD 2238) provides a buffer between time of sale and ownership. This “cool-off” time has been proven to reduce gun suicides and prevent rash decisions by people who may want to harm others.
- A ban on machine gun conversion devices (LD 2086) would include features such as bump stocks and autosears. These devices were created to bypass laws that restrict automatic weapons, and allow a shooter to fire rapidly and kill more people.
These gun safety bills were proposed in response to the mass shooting in Lewiston last October, when a gunman killed 18 people and injured 13 more at a bowling alley and restaurant.
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