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Voters in Maine have approved Question 2, adopting a red flag law that will replace the state’s current “yellow flag” process for temporarily removing firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.
The Associated Press called the race Tuesday night, with the measure passing by a comfortable margin.
Supporters celebrated the result at an event in Portland led by the Maine Gun Safety Coalition.
Speaking to the crowd, board member Nacole Palmer called the vote “a choice for a safer future,” saying Mainers had rejected the idea that “gun rights and gun responsibility” are mutually exclusive.
The new law will make it easier for family members and law enforcement to petition a court to remove guns from someone considered at risk.
Under Maine’s existing yellow flag law, police must first take a person into protective custody and obtain a medical evaluation before seeking a court order to seize weapons.
Red flag laws, by contrast, allow petitions without that medical step, streamlining the process but raising concerns about due process protections for gun owners.
SEE ALSO: DOJ Announces $200 Million Spend on Red Flag Laws
The debate around Question 2 intensified in the aftermath of the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting, which left 18 people dead.
Proponents argued that a red flag system might have prevented the tragedy by allowing earlier intervention, while opponents said the yellow flag law, enacted in 2020 and used more than 1,100 times since, was already working and included stronger safeguards for individual rights.
According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, 1,154 yellow flag cases have been processed statewide, with most coming after the Lewiston attack.
Those who voted “no” on Question 2 warned that the new law could invite false claims and weaken protections for lawful gun owners.
Gov. Janet Mills, who supported the existing yellow flag system, has indicated it protects both safety and constitutional rights.
With voters opting for a broader red flag law, Maine joins about 20 other U.S. states that now allow courts to issue Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs).
The law is expected to take effect later this year following certification by the Secretary of State.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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Blue state gun confiscation. What is it with leftists? They are the ones turning trans and killing kids in schools. They are the ones assassinating or attempting to assassinate people. They are the ones burning down sections of cities, burning up Tesla dealerships. Their crimes leep on keeping on and now they come up with these nutcase Red Flag laws confiscating firearms from people with no due process. LOL and they call us NAZIs.
Yes liberals… Let’s go ahead and “streamline the process“ in order to take somebody’s rights away from them. The yellow flag law wasn’t a bad idea because it made you prove the individual was incapable of keeping weapons. Now with the red flag law, all you have to do is piss off a family member and you can have your guns illegally taken away from you. Who considers them a risk… A family member that doesn’t live with them or a law-enforcement officer that doesn’t know them? Way to go Maine! Every time I think you liberals are getting it together and using your head, you go do something like this.
Another effing bullshit LAW with effing bullshit results!
These gun safety laws are so unconstitutional as to be ridiculous, they don’t do a damn thing to stop crime and these people know it, they just want to control the population just like the fake pandemic and every other farcical BS government imposed garbage that keeps being forced on us by the Communist Progressive Criminals, also known as Demoncrats!
PROVE ME WRONG!
hey janet, just who’s constitutional rights are being protected here……