Gun safety advocates turn in signatures to force fall referendum on red flag law

Jan. 23—AUGUSTA — Gun safety advocates said Thursday morning they submitted petitions to force a November referendum on a proposed red flag law that would make it easier for police to remove weapons from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.

The Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which led a signature-gathering effort, was facing a deadline at the end of the day to hand in at least 67,682 signatures from Maine voters in order to force the issue onto the ballot. The group said it collected 80,000 signatures from around the state.

The coalition called a press conference at 11 a.m. at the State House to announce they were moving forward and submitting the petitions to be certified by the Department of the Secretary of State.

The referendum campaign is the latest step by gun safety advocates to try and implement a red flag law in Maine in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston that killed 18 people in 2023.

Former House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, sponsored red flag legislation last year, but the bill never made it to a floor vote in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.

Twenty-one states have red flag, or extreme risk protection order, laws that provide for quick intervention and the ability to temporarily remove weapons when a person is at serious risk of harming themselves or others, according to the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

Maine is the only state that has a so-called yellow-flag law requiring a mental health evaluation before a judge can sign off on a temporary confiscation of weapons.

The strongest red flag laws, and what the referendum is proposing, provide a pathway for family or household members, in addition to law enforcement, to petition a court to temporarily remove someone’s weapons.

Critics of the yellow flag law have said that it’s too burdensome and time consuming for law enforcement, though its use has spiked as awareness about the law has spread in the wake of the Lewiston shooting.

Supporters of red flag laws say they provide an important path forward for families seeking to restrict a loved one’s access to firearms without stigmatizing mental illness. Opponents have raised concerns about a lack of due process and say red flag laws infringe on Second Amendment rights.

This story will be updated.

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