Will Maine Pass the ‘Red Flag Law’ for Gun Safety?

Maine currently does not have a true red flag law but instead is the only state in the nation that has a yellow flag law, according to CBS News, which is a more limited version of the red flag law that is currently used in other states.

The yellow flag law lets law enforcement request the temporary removal of firearms from people believed to be a danger to themselves or others.

Now, according to WGME, The Maine Gun Safety Coalition recently launched the “Safe Schools, Safe Communities” initiative which will let lawmakers introduce the known gun safety law to help reduce violence, the red flag law.

The law would help families and law enforcement request temporary removal of guns from people in crisis and potentially dangerous to themselves or others.

Nacole Palmer, Executive Director of the Maine gun safety coalition told the news station,

"Families are often the first to recognize when loved ones are in crisis and pose a danger." 

If this is passed, it would replace the yellow flag law, which only lets law enforcement initiate this process under certain conditions, according to the news station.

The yellow flag law has been deeply criticized and noted as being extremely ineffective.

Maine is the only state that has the yellow flag law, and back in 2019, they failed to pass the red flag law and instead, the yellow flag was introduced, the news station reported.

Even though there is pushback in Maine, where critics say the law could infringe on Constitutional rights, some think it could save lives if used properly.