Dear Editor:

The Democrats in Augusta have a fondness for adopting policies that have, in other states, proven woefully ineffective. This habit is especially apparent in gun control legislation.

Last year Ann Carney proposed several bills, all attacking the right of Mainers to bear arms. Thankfully, the majority were defeated with only the 72-hour waiting period passing. That passed only after a nay vote somehow became yay. That bill is being successfully challenged in court.

This year we had a magazine ban proposed based on the number of rounds held. Thankfully that nonsense failed in committee with the help of many gun owners who testified.

All the measures proposed by the Democrats have failed to produce the desired results in other states across our nation, but Maine Democrats just want to try one more time.

A new bill has just been proposed, LD 1379, this time by our very own Holly Stover. A bill that would require gun dealers like me to display a poster warning of the “public health risk” of firearms. We would also be required to hand out brochures with the same warning. Who knew that simply passing out a brochure would solve the issue of suicide or domestic violence, both named specifically in the literature. Perhaps Holly can extrapolate this idea to other areas of concern for Democrats. Climate change, drug addiction, drunk driving, mental health etc. you name it the Democrats will solve it … with a brochure. Given that the date on the bill is April 1 I would love to say it’s an April fool’s joke but sadly she is serious.

This bill moves us closer to the “public health’ argument and measures such as were used during COVID, which is really the purpose. If the Democrats can convince each other that stripping away the right to bear arms is a matter of “public health” there are no limits to the steps they will take. It will not make one ounce of difference in solving the “gun violence” problem we don’t have.

Linc Sample

Boothbay Harbor