ME Gun Safety Initiative Heading to Ballot
March 7, 2025
Signatures for Extreme Risk Protection Orders validated; measure will appear on the November 2025 ballot
PORTLAND – Today the Secretary of State’s office validated signatures for the Safe Schools, Safe Communities initiative, which the Maine Gun Safety Coalition turned in on Jan. 23. This November, Maine voters will have the chance to join 21 other states by passing Extreme Risk Protection Orders to help prevent tragedies and save lives.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition launched the Safe Schools, Safe Communities signature gathering drive on Nov. 5, 2024 after lawmakers failed to pass an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law during the 2024 legislative session following the tragedy in Lewiston. In just over two months, more than 600 volunteers gathered 80,000 signatures to qualify, including signatures from voters in every county.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders empower family members to directly petition a court when a loved one is in crisis and may pose a threat to themselves or others. Through due process, a judge can temporarily limit someone’s access to deadly weapons. Under an ERPO law, both family members and law enforcement have more tools to intervene quickly before a crisis becomes a tragedy.
“This was the final hurdle in a process that began in the aftermath of Lewiston, as people across Maine and family members of those lost asked how we prevent this from ever happening again,” said Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition (MGSC). “This past fall, tens of thousands of Mainers decided to step up where elected leaders didn’t, and put a real Extreme Risk Protection Order law on the ballot. This is a proven, commonsense tool for families that’s been effective in many other states in saving countless lives and preventing tragedies like Lewiston.”
Firearms are now the leading cause of death for American children and teens. ERPO laws exist in 21 other states and Washington, D.C., where they’ve been used effectively to disarm people who have threatened mass shootings, including school shootings. Additionally, ERPOs have been proven effective in reducing incidents of suicide – the leading cause of firearm death in Maine, especially among men.
In the case of the tragedy in Lewiston, multiple people close to the would-be shooter warned that he was in crisis and may pose a threat – none of those warnings resulted in action, which the Lewiston Commission report attributed to Maine’s burdensome, slow, and inefficient ‘yellow flag’ law, the only one of its kind in the country.
“Maine is a strong gun rights state, where many of us hunt and shoot recreationally, but we’re also a state that believes in gun responsibility,” said David McCrea, former state legislator and retired educator from Fort Fairfield and a volunteer for the Maine Gun Safety Coalition. “As a gun owner myself, I’m proud to support this commonsense measure that will give family members tools to get help for their loved ones when they’re in need, before a crisis becomes a preventable tragedy.”
Now that the Secretary of State has completed signature verification, MGSC will move ahead towards launching a full initiative campaign. The Maine gun lobby has already started spreading misinformation and scare tactics about Extreme Risk Protection Order laws, which have been upheld as constitutional and proven effective in every other state where they’ve passed.
“We know the gun lobby will stop at nothing to stand in the way of even the most common-sense measures, but we’re confident Maine voters will see through the misinformation and pass this live-saving initiative to keep our kids and families safe,” said Palmer.
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