After pleas from Republicans, last-minute hearing scheduled for red flag initiative
After a push from Republican lawmakers, a public hearing for a red flag bill is scheduled for Wednesday.
The Maine Legislature's Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing for LD 1378, which was born out of a citizens initiative process, at 3 p.m. on Wednesday — one week before the Legislature is set to adjourn for the session.
Red flag laws, formally known as extreme risk protection orders, are a mechanism to temporarily confiscate one's firearms if they are deemed to be a threat by law enforcement or their family members. Maine's current 'yellow flag law' allows law enforcement officials to take away guns from someone considered a safety risk to themselves or others after an evaluation from a mental health professional.
For several weeks, Republicans have been questioning why a public hearing was never scheduled for the proposal, which is already set to appear on the November ballot for voters to decide on.
In a late night Senate session last Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) attempted four maneuvers to force a public hearing for the bill. He argued that they are obligated by state law to hold a hearing, but his attempts were unsuccessful at the time. Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) said the Judiciary Committee still had possession of the bill, essentially saying it is up to the committee to decide what to do with it next.
However, after another late Senate session Monday, the Judiciary Committee sent out a public hearing notice.
'The 'red flag' bill isn't a referendum to change the state flag,' said Assistant Senate Minority Leader Matt Harrington (R-York) after the meeting was announced. 'It is a proposal that infringes on one of our most protected rights.'
The red flag proposal was brought about after the Maine Gun Safety Coalition collected more than 80,000 signatures in about two months in support of the initiative. Similar legislation was introduced last legislative session, but it died without a vote in the full Senate or House of Representatives.
The Judiciary Committee held a public hearing in April 2024 for last session's proposal amid criticisms of the state's yellow flag law, which has faced scrutiny since an independent commission found that it should have been utilized to remove firearms from Robert Card II, who perpetrated the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston.
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