By Dave Workman
Senior Editor
Maine Gov. Paul LePage “quietly’ signed legislation allowing the carrying of concealed handguns without a permit, making the Pine Tree State fifth in the nation to adopt a so-called “constitutional carry” statute.
There was little fanfare outside of the gun rights forums, but the legislation is significant because it is the first state in the northeast to adopt such a statute. Vermont has always been a “constitutional carry” state because it has never required a permit to carry openly or concealed, based on a court ruling a century ago.
Constitutional carry legislation has been signed by Maine Gov. Paul LePage.
The measure will not allow just anyone to carry a gun without a permit. People who previously could not obtain a permit are still prohibited from carrying under the new law. Also, guns will still be prohibited in certain places, and limited permitless carry to those over age 21.
But the effort to get this into law may not be completely over, according to a guest editorial that appeared in the Bangor Daily News one day after the governor inked LD 652. The opinion piece suggests that anti-gun former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may launch an effort to overturn the law via public initiative. It may be a daunting task to collect signatures, but as Bloomberg and other elitist anti-gunners proved in Washington State last year, money is no object.
Professional signature gatherers were brought into the state and the campaign was well-financed, with more than half of the $10 million-plus budget being contributed by less than a dozen wealthy people including Bill and Melinda Gates, Paul Allen, Steve and Connie Ballmer, Nick Hanauer, and Bloomberg, both personally and through his Everytown for Gun Safety lobbying organization.
The bipartisan measure maintained Maine’s current permit, allowing state residents to get a carry permit that will be honored by other states under reciprocity agreements. According to Reuters, the measure was supported by sportsmen’s groups and gun rights activists, but opposed by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, which argued that background checks required in the permitting process enabled police to keep guns out of the wrong hands.
The new law takes effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns, meaning that permitless carry will start in mid-October.
In addition to Maine, “constitutional carry” is also the law in Alaska, Arizona, Kansas and Wyoming, and in most of Montana. Other states have considered similar legislation, and West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed that state’s bill earlier this year.
Op-ed author Jim Fossel, who has worked for Sen. Susan Collins, suggested that the battle may just be starting over constitutional carry. He noted that citizen initiatives have played important roles in other issues recently, including a 2010 tax “reform” measure and in 2009 over marriage equality.
