Less than a year after Maine mass shooting, new gun law goes into effect

Less than a year after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, a new gun law has gone into effect in that state requiring a 72-hour waiting period for the purchase of some firearms.

Earlier this week, the Office of the Maine Attorney General and the Maine Department of Public Safety jointly issued guidance about the law to gun store owners. They were told to “be sure that buyers and sellers felt confident in utilizing the new law and [to] minimize any potential confusion,” said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the attorney general.

Anyone who violates the law for the first time could receive fines up to $500 with subsequent violations increasing up to $1000.

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According to the Office of the Attorney General, the waiting period does not apply to buyers and sellers who are family members, and in cases in which the seller is aware that the buyer is a member of law enforcement, a corrections officer, or if the person is a licensed private security guard.

Certain antique firearms are also exempt from the law.

Last October, Robert Card II, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, shot and killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, using a .308 Ruger SFAR rifle he legally purchased in July 2023. He made the purchase less than two weeks before being hospitalized at a psychiatric facility in New York.

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A Scripps News investigation found at least two dozen police officers had knowledge of Card’s declining mental health and his access to weapons in the weeks ahead of the mass shooting.

In April, Gov. Janet Mills issued a statement about the law, saying she would allow it to go into effect without her signature.

“In carefully considering all the arguments, I have decided to allow this bill to become law. I do so, however, with some caveats and concerns and with the hope that it can be implemented to accomplish its intended goal of preventing suicide by firearm without overburdening our outdoor sports economy and the rights of responsible gun owners and dealers to engage in lawful and constitutionally protected activities,” she said.