Latest news with #LD1049
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Committee rejects proposed changes to Maine's concealed carry laws
Guns are shown at Caso's Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, New Jersey, which has been open since 1967. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor) With four proposals to amend Maine's laws regarding the concealed carry of a firearm, the Legislature's Judiciary Committee is suggesting to keep current practice in place. 'I think we do have a good balance right now in our constitutional carry law,' said Rep. Adam Lee (D-Auburn), who voted against the proposed changes. The committee held a work session Thursday for a slate of gun legislation. While some measures were tabled for further discussion, the four bills about where someone can have a firearm, when they need to inform law enforcement and age requirements to carry were voted down by a majority of the committee. Some of the bills received bipartisan votes, and others were along party lines. The committee overwhelmingly voted 11-2 not to change the law that requires someone carrying a concealed weapon without a valid permit to inform law enforcement immediately during routine traffic stops, arrests or detainment. LD 1049 originally sought to repeal that requirement, but its sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Poirier (R-Skowhegan), amended her proposal during the work session so that an officer would have to ask first. However, multiple committee members brought up other constitutional concerns, including potential violations of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, which protect individuals against unlawful search and seizure and from self incrimination. Others said they couldn't support the bill because the law was written to protect law enforcement, and some officers expressed concern about changes to the law. There was also bipartisan support to maintain current law that says an employer can't prohibit an employee from storing a firearm in their vehicle if the employee has a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm, so long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is stored out of sight. While Rep. Alicia Collins (R-Sidney) sought with LD 998 to remove the requirement that an employee have a valid concealed carry permit, the committee weighed the competing interests of property rights and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Ultimately, the committee voted 10-3 against the proposal, with many members agreeing current law already did a sufficient job at balancing employer versus employee rights. While the majority also voted against legislation to update statutory language about carrying in state parks and lowering the age that someone can carry without a permit to 18, those proposals received party line votes. Sen. David Haggan (R-Penobscot) said during the public hearing that he introduced LD 829 to clean up confusion in existing law by making it clear that someone can carry a concealed firearm in a state park, so long as they are not otherwise prohibited from possessing one. Committee co-chair Rep. Amy Kuhn (D-Falmouth) said she wasn't going to support the proposal because the Legislature had previously considered that statute and didn't see any reason why it should be changed. However, Rep. Rachel Henderson (R-Rumford) said she backed the legislation because of what she saw as a need for protection against other people as well as animals in remote areas of state parks. Democrats similarly didn't want to reduce the age limit that a person can carry without a permit, while Republicans were in favor of doing so. The committee voted 7-5 to reject LD 424. Current law requires someone who is 18 to 20 years old and without military training to have a permit to carry concealed. Someone can carry without a permit starting at age 21. Rep. Dani O'Halloran (D-Brewer) pointed out that 18-year-olds are often still in high school, so she couldn't justify taking away the training requirements for someone at that age to be able to carry a firearm. Henderson suggested an amendment, which her Republican colleagues supported, to add language clarifying that someone could carry concealed without a permit starting at age 18, except if they are still in high school. While Haggan said society has already decided someone is an adult at 18 and has given them other rights such as voting, Kuhn argued that people 18 to 20 can also be more impulsive and carrying a firearm can come with deadly consequences. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposals to amend concealed carry laws saw pushback from business community, law enforcement
Tim Russell of Sydney was among the minority of demonstrators on Jan. 3, 2024 who protested in support of gun rights. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star) Among the gun legislation before the Maine Legislature this session are proposals to amend constitutional and concealed carry laws that drew concerns from the business and law enforcement communities. The Legislature's Judiciary Committee held public hearings Wednesday for eight gun bills that were broken into two groups to make public input more efficient. While half of the bills related to various aspects of concealed carry law, the other four dealt with the definition of machine guns, magazine capacity and serial numbers on firearms. Laura Whitcomb, president of Gun Owners of Maine, said the group supported the four that would help standardize the laws around carrying firearms in the state, including the differences between having a permit to carry a concealed weapon and not having one. 'If you are not a person who generally carries a firearm, it might be difficult to understand that most people who carry a firearm do so on a regular basis,' she said to explain why consistency in statute is important for those individuals. Maine residents can carry a handgun without a permit if they are 21 years old and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm — what's colloquially referred to as constitutional carry. There are exceptions allowing people who are 18 to 20 years old to carry without a permit if they are active duty military or have been honorably discharged. Rep. Alicia Collins (R-Sidney) is seeking to lower the constitutional carry age to 18 with LD 424 on the grounds that someone is considered a legal adult at that age and entrusted with other decisions,such as voting or enlisting in the military. Maine Legislature weighs updates to machine gun definition, ghost gun regulations Under current law, an employer can't prohibit an employee from storing a firearm in their vehicle if the employee has a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm, so long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is stored out of sight. However, Collins is looking to remove the requirement that an employee have a valid concealed carry permit with LD 998. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce opposed this bill citing concerns over employer choice and workplace safety. Additionally, Rep. Jennifer Poirier (R-Skowhegan) introduced LD 1049, which would repeal a requirement that someone carrying a concealed handgun without a permit must inform a law enforcement officer immediately that they have a firearm during a traffic stop or other such encounters. Maine State Police and the Maine Department of Public Safety opposed this proposal over safety concerns for both the officers and other individuals involved in those encounters. The final carry-related proposal came from Sen. David Haggan (R-Penobscot). He said LD 829 would clean up confusion in existing law by making it clear that someone can carry a concealed firearm in a state park, so long as they are not otherwise prohibited from possessing one. It removes the ambiguity that someone must have a permit to carry in a state park or Acadia National Park, he said. The bill includes an emergency preamble so it could take effect immediately upon passage with a two-thirds vote. This means it could be in place for the summer recreation season. Justin Davis, state director for the National Rifle Association, argued LD 829 is important not only for protection against wildlife in the Maine woods, but a security measure for females hiking alone. However, Friends of Acadia, an organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the park, opposed the proposal for the sake of the millions of visitors who come to the park each year for tranquility. The Gun Safety Coalition of Maine opposed all four proposals, which they characterized as 'very dangerous.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
