KITTERY, Maine — Whilst residents in Kittery maybe aware of the soon-to-be Maine’s gun law LD 2238 which requires a 72 hour waiting period on gun purchases, opposers say that LD 2238 which Democrat Gov. Janet Mills has proposed, is “ill thought out”.
Following support by state Sen. Peggy Rotundo, a Democrat from Lewiston, Gov. Janet Mills has said she would let Bill LD 2238 become law without her signature, paving the way for it to take effect in the summer. But among others, 3rd generation local business Kittery Trading Post has warned it could be forced relocate its outdoor sporting goods store to New Hampshire, over the soon-to-be Maine firearm law.
Following the mass shooting in Lewiston last year, legislators in Maine proposed a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period on certain gun purchases before firearms can be delivered to buyers.
LD 2238 would require firearm sellers who violate the three-day waiting period to pay a civil penalty between $200 and $500 for a first offense before rising to between $500 and $1,000 for all subsequent violations.
Supporters of Bill LD 2238 argue that the waiting period could help prevent deaths by suicide by creating a cooling off period before firearms are delivered to those in distress.
Bill LD 2238 Ill Thought Out & Poorly Conceived
Critics of LD 2238 point out that the bill would not have prevented the mass shooting in Lewiston and that rather than make life harder for law abiding citizens without mental health issues, that LD 2238 is no better than a sticking plaster on a breached dam, given the haphazard approach to those with mental health issues, that pose a risk to themselves and others.
When you consider that in Maine alone, some 60,000 resident adults have a serious mental illness and 37.5% of adults in Maine reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, but 12.8% are unable to get any form counselling or therapy, it paints a rather stark picture.
For those people who are suffering from serious mental health issues, the new law wouldnt have any impact on those already in possession of firearms and the real question is, would a 72 hour waiting period have any real impact to the prevention of suicide and other mass casualty shootings?
Given that the motivations for suicide and mass casualty shootings are seemingly deep rooted, developing over time, what real impact will a 72 hour ‘cooling off’ period have to someone who is determined to use a gun for suicide or a mass shooting?
Opposers of LD 2238 point out that the 72 hour cooling off period will do nothing towards the bill’s intended aims but instead only creates headaches for law abiding citizens and outdoor sporting goods businesses of Maine.
Missed Warning Signs – Which LD 2238 Does Not Address
Sean Hodgson, best friend of nearly two decades to the Lewiston mass shooter Robert Card saw his friend unravel before him and alerted their Army supervisor on September 15th, six weeks before the mass shooting.
The warning from Sean Hodgson wasn’t the only missed warning sign as in May, five months before the mass shooting, relatives warned police that Card had grown paranoid and they expressed concern about his access to guns. This warning was also ignored.
Despite the missed warnings from friends and relatives of Robert Card, State authorities also missed an opportunity to prevent the mass shooting when Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for two weeks in July, after shoving a fellow Army reservist and locking himself in a motel room.
Despite the Army barring Card from handling weapons while on duty and declaring him non-deployable following Card’s assault on a fellow reservist his private access to firearms and the prior warnings from his family, which predated Card’s stay in a psychiatric unit went without action.
Kittery Trading Post Speaks Out
The near 90 year-old 3rd generation Kittery Trading Post shared a letter with the nonprofit Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine stating that the gun law would have “irreversible consequences” on its family-owned gun and outdoor sports company.
“The 72-hour waiting period forces law-abiding customers to make two visits over three days to complete a legal firearm sale,” the Kittery Trading Post’s letter to the alliance states. “That means extra time, gas, and sundries which further drives up the cost of the transaction for the consumer. We are a destination store in a tourist state and 55% of our visits are unique each year. We will be vigorously supporting the lawsuit against the State of Maine on this legislation. If this law is implemented, we will be forced to move our entire firearms business to New Hampshire.”
Whilst the issue around gun laws, Second Amendment rights and mental health is the proverbial hot topic, when the intended aims of a bill such as LD 2238 are misdirected, it just seems a wasted opportunity to not address the real issue, in this case the access of guns to those with severe mental health issues, but instead push through a bill that has little to no effect upon the intended outcomes on which it is proposed.
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