History and Successes

Maine Gun Safety Coalition, a 501.c.4 organization, was started in 2000 by a small group of Maine citizens responding to the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The gun used in that mass shooting was bought by a friend of the shooter in a “straw purchase”, i.e., without a background check.

Duane “Buzz” Fitzgerald, then CEO of Bath Iron Works, US Representative Chellie Pingree (a state senator at the time) and Maine attorney William Harwood joined forces to form an organization to attempt to enact legislation to prevent gun deaths in Maine.

MGSC was initially known as Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence. The organization supports responsible gun ownership and is not an anti-gun advocate. Our legislative successes are listed below.

Maine Gun Safety Coalition Foundation, a 501.c.3 organization, initially known as Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence Foundation, was also developed to provide programs that promote gun safety.

 

Press conference at the Augusta State House, 2023

 

Legislative Successes

In recent years, as the number of gun deaths surges, certain statutory safeguards are in place due to the advocacy efforts of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition and its partners. Our efforts to reduce gun violence in Maine are gaining momentum. Recent victories include:

  • Mandatory background checks for advertised sales of firearms;

  • A 72 hr. waiting period to access a firearm from the time of purchase;

  • Amended child endangerment statutes to include certain unauthorized access to a loaded firearm, Maine’s first safe storage legislation.

  • Prohibitions on guns in state correctional facilities and jails.

  • A yellow flag law, a process by which police may seek a court order to temporarily take guns ways from those who are a danger to themselves or others.

  • A mandated annual report from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on firearm deaths and injuries across the state, with specific information including whether the incident was intentional, accidental, or a suicide, and the age of the victim. See 2021 and 2020 data.

  • A Safe Homes Program administered by the Department of Public Safety, names September Safe Homes Awareness Month and authorizes grants for educational materials to create awareness of the dangers of unsecured firearms and prescription drugs.

MGSC also helped defeat a Stand Your Ground bill which, when enacted in other states has only increased the rate of homicides in those states, and a bill which would allow a loaded gun in a car parked on school property.

From a more historical perspective, additional measures were enacted due to MGSC advocacy:

  • The minimum age for purchasing a handgun was raised from 16 to 18;

  • Judges are authorized to prohibit possession of guns by defendants subject to Temporary Orders for Protection from Abuse;

  • Those determined by a Court to be mentally ill are prohibited from purchasing guns;

  • Guns are prohibited in Maine courthouses; and,

  • Public universities are authorized to regulate guns on campus.

Programmatic Successes

Maine Gun Safety Coalition Foundation has developed the Pediatricians Program, a Community Speakers Program and it also distributes Free Gun Locks.