Response to Mass Shooting

We are heartbroken by the tragic events of Tuesday, April 18th  when a mass shooting took place in Bowdoin and Yarmouth. The lives of the families who lost loved ones will never be the same, nor will the lives of those injured in the random shooting on the highway.

For over 20 years, the Maine Gun Safety Coalition has worked tirelessly to prevent gun violence in Maine by advocating for laws that will reduce gun violence and raise awareness of the threat of gun violence, which can happen anywhere and at any time. Unfortunately, Maine is the latest to experience a mass shooting, the now staggeringly common tragedy that has touched many other states in the U.S. in recent years.

We invite Mainers to join our efforts to pass common sense gun safety legislation in Maine, so that we can move our state from being “F-rated” on gun safety to one in which we enact laws that protect the lives of our citizens while still honoring Maine’s strong outdoor tradition.

There is action we can take now. One piece of legislation under consideration right now in the state legislature is a comprehensive Background Check Bill (LD 168), to fix the system that allows many criminals to buy guns from private sellers unchecked, because Maine has, up to this point, failed to close its gaping background check loophole. In 2020, the legislature passed a law that directed the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to release an annual report on firearm fatalities and hospitalizations in Maine. The latest CDC report, released in February 2023, shows that Maine’s suicides increased by nearly 20% over the course of a single year.

It doesn’t have to be this way. As we join our fellow Mainers in shared grief, let us remember those whose lives were lost by taking action to make our state safer. Sign up for our Show Up Network to join with us in taking steps to expand the numbers of calls, texts, emails and personal appearances when gun safety bills come before the Legislature.

April 2023