By: Kayleigh Hamilton
One gun control law just took effect.
And it is going to be terrible news for many gun owners.
This new law could change everything in a very bad way.
After the Lewiston shooting, anti-gun politicians in Maine went into overdrive to find new gun control laws that they could get through the Legislature.
It was always going to be a heavy lift for them, as Maine is not a very anti-gun state like many of their neighbors in New England, such as Massachusetts or Connecticut.
But the state is currently controlled by Democrats, and they wanted to show that even in a rural state, they could flex their muscle and bring gun owners to heel.
They managed to pass a 72-hour waiting period law to try to make the process of buying a gun more strenuous and difficult.
And they are hoping that this law will be a model for other states around the country to pass similar types of laws.
If that scenario ends up happening, then this awful new gun control law in Maine will have truly changed everything.
According to Fox 11 News, “A new 72-hour waiting period law takes effect in Maine on Friday, requiring those who purchase a gun to wait three days before taking it home.”
“Gun Owners of Maine President Laura Whitcomb said the waiting period will take away the spontaneity of gun purchases at gun shows and ultimately make the purchases impractical.
“Gun advocates also worry about the potential economic impact of the new law.”
Gun shows are how many people go about buying guns in the first place, and the state of Maine is trying to ruin that.
They are trying to throw roadblocks into the process of purchasing a gun in the hopes that most people simply won’t bother.
Here is what Whitcomb had to say: “You have venues that won’t be rented, you have the surrounding gas stations, restaurants and all that stuff that won’t be frequented when the gun show is happening. So, it has a far-reaching effect that I think a lot of people don’t realize.”
The article continues, “The bill was passed in the wake of the Lewiston mass shooting in October 2023, which left 18 dead and 13 injured.
“The first scheduled gun show after the 72-hour waiting period takes effect on August 9 is being held at the Augusta Armory on August 24-25.”
With an election coming up in November, it is entirely possible that a new group of lawmakers will take office in Maine and do away with this law.
Until then, however, gun buyers are going to face serious restrictions if they want to legally purchase new firearms in the state of Maine.
This is exactly what the lawmakers who created this law were hoping for, as they continue to chip away at the Second Amendment.
And they are betting that more states will copy them and pass laws like this around the country to make the gun-buying process more difficult.