Maine is moving toward passing a bill that would make concealed carry permits optional.
Maine lawmakers recently amended a bill allowing permitless concealed carry, restricting it to ages 21 and up. Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, subsequently told a talk radio station that he would not sign the bill unless military personnel 18 and over could carry without permits. The legislature agreed to this compromise in a vote last week. Democrats control Maine’s state House and Republicans control the state Senate.
If Maine passes the law, it will join seven other states in allowing concealed carry without a permit. Under current law, residents must be at least 18 to obtain a permit.
The National Rifle Association lobbied legislators to support the bill, whereas former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg helped fund advertisements against it.
Last week, a tragic story from another state demonstrated how strict gun laws can cause lengthy delays, at times with grave consequences. New Jersey resident Carol Bowne was waiting to receive her gun license since April 21 to protect herself against ex-boyfriend Michael Eitel. But last week, Eitel was charged with stabbing Bowne to death. She had installed security cameras and an alarm system, but a gun could have saved her life.
Gun rights are increasingly popular, according to a December 2014 Pew Research Center poll. Fifty-two percent of 1,500 people support gun rights. That number has increased since December 2012, when the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting occurred. The number supporting gun control dropped from 49 percent to 46 percent.
Emily Leayman is an intern at the Washington Examiner
