Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Maine: Session Adjourns Sine Die from 2024 Session

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Maine: Session Adjourns Sine Die from 2024 Session

Late Friday night, the Maine Legislature adjourned sine die from the 2024 second session. Gun owners can breathe a sigh of relief now that this session, mired with controversy and political games, has come to a close. Despite a massive push by New York Billionaire Michael Bloomberg and his political apparatus to pass sweeping anti-gun legislation, NRA members, gun rights supporters, and pro-gun lawmakers were able to block the majority of these gun control demands. A summary of the major bills of note are below:

Defeated:

LD 2283 was a last-minute submission by Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) to replace Maine's Yellow Flag law with a more extreme Bloomberg-style Red Flag law. If passed, LD 2283 would have removed protective barriers and streamlined the process for government officials to strip you of your Second Amendment rights without due process. Gun rights supporters successfully blocked this bill from receiving a floor vote. 

LD 2086, introduced by leading gun-grabbing politician Sen. Anne Carney, would have created a backdoor ban on commonly owned firearms and firearm parts by redefining a “machine gun” to include any semi-automatic firearm that includes parts that can “increase the rate of fire." This poorly written bill attempted to sneak a so-called “rapid-fire modification ban” past Mainers in a bill completely unrelated to firearm parts. As written, this bill would have banned legally and commonly owned firearm parts used for training, hunting, or self-defense, and could be utilized to ban shotguns and other firearms capable of firing birdshot or snake shot. This bill was vetoed by Governor Mills. The veto was sustained in the Maine Senate. 

LD 1696 would have created a “course of action” against firearm manufacturers and retailers whose firearms are used in criminal activity. This “course of action” attempted to evade the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which protects manufacturers from being held responsible for third-party misuse. Just like it is unreasonable for an auto retailer to be held liable when a driver harms someone with their vehicle, it is unreasonable for firearm manufacturers and retailers to be held liable when their products are used in a crime. This bill was defeated in the Maine Senate.

Passed:

LD 2238 delays Second Amendment rights by imposing a three-day waiting period before an individual may receive a firearm that they lawfully purchase, with limited exemptions. There is no evidence that waiting periods reduce violent crime, instead this law simply denies the right of self-defense to abuse victims or any individual facing an imminent threat. Additionally, waiting periods could destroy Maine’s hunting tourism industry because guides will be unable to provide hunters with firearms and local firearm dealers will be unable to sell and transfer firearms in a timely manner. This bill was passed in both chambers and allowed to go into law by Governor Janet Mills. To see how your local lawmaker voted, click HERE.

Pro-gun activists in Maine have announced they will be launching a legal challenge against the law. To learn more about the legal challenge, click HERE.

LD 2224 expands Maine's Yellow Flag laws and implements the first steps toward Universal Background Checks in Maine. This law requires all “advertised” sales to be subject to background checks regardless of the relationship between the buyer and the seller. Additionally, this law changes the criminal code to create a felony for individuals who "recklessly" transfer a firearm to a prohibited individual. This differs from the previous law, which required the transferer to "knowingly or intentionally" transfer a firearm to a prohibited individual. This change is an attempt to require a background check on all transfers because not doing so puts law-abiding gun owners at risk of becoming felons for the simple act of transferring a firearm to a family member, friend, or neighbor.

TRENDING NOW
North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Last week the North Carolina General Assembly briefly returned from recess and re-referred Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to the House Rules Committee.

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

First Affirmative Lawsuit in Support of Gun Owners Filed by Trump’s DOJ

California officials’ egregious foot-dragging over the issuance of carry permits has finally attracted the ire of the federal Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Administration’s “Engaged in the Business” Rule in NRA Case

Yesterday, in Butler v. Bondi, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama held that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its statutory authority by issuing its 2024 Final Rule expanding ...

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

President Trump’s GOP Leads Polling on Crime and Guns, To No Surprise

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that Americans know the President Donald Trump-led Republican Party has a better plan than their Democratic Party opponents on crime and gun control.

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Friday, October 3, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Fifth Circuit Case Challenging the Federal Switchblade Act

Yesterday, the National Rifle Association filed an amicus brief in Knife Rights, Inc. v. Bondi, urging the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas’s decision upholding the Federal ...

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

Trump Administration Repeals Biden Era Firearms Export Crackdown

Last Monday, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule that reversed a crackdown on the commercial export of firearms from the U.S. to other countries.

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

News  

Monday, October 6, 2025

Trust in Mass Media Craters to New Lows, in Single Digits With Republicans

There’s an old saying that rings especially true to Second Amendment supporters: If you don’t read the news, you’re uninformed.

Alphabet Eases the Reins on Censorship; Will Gun Content Eventually Benefit?

News  

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Alphabet Eases the Reins on Censorship; Will Gun Content Eventually Benefit?

With the free speech debate recently co-opted by one TV host’s use of false and incendiary remarks about his political opponents, it might have been easy to miss another important First Amendment story last week. 

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

News  

Monday, September 29, 2025

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

There have been multiple developments on the Canadian gun grab and ban in the last few days, but the most astounding has got to be a leaked bombshell recording of the Liberal Public Safety Minister, ...

Pennsylvania: Gun Owner Opposition Kills Two of Three Anti-Gun Bills Tuesday!

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Pennsylvania: Gun Owner Opposition Kills Two of Three Anti-Gun Bills Tuesday!

The House voted on a package of gun control bills Tuesday with gun owners defeating House Majority Democrats on two of the three bills up for a final vote. On an earlier vote Tuesday, the ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.