There are currently seven candidates vying the GOP nod in the crowded Maine gubernatorial primaries. Bearing Arms had a chance to interview four of them and Bobby Charles was one.
Charles has a background in government and policy that dates back to the Reagan era when he interned from 1981 to 1983 at the White House. Born in Virginia but raised in Wayne, Maine, Charles got his undergrad in Dartmouth College, masters in New College, Oxford, and Juris Doctor from Columbia University. After clerking at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the late 80s, he spent half of a decade practicing law, found himself working for President H.W. Bush, and then continued a long career working for the government.
“The state that I came back to is not the state that I left,” Charles said about returning to Maine. “I left the state where you could have NRA safe hunter training — and I did, probably at 11 or 12 years old — in our schools. We were very receptive to all the heritage industries, all the things that make us Mainers, we believe firmly in. I worked for World War II vets for the first years of my life, and all of a sudden we're looking at something that looks more communist than it does American, and it bothers the heck out of me.”
One of the big topics in Maine is the moose hunt. There’s been some changes floated about how the lottery would work for outfitters and guides to get tags. Charles recounted how the moose lottery went last year, when Governor Mills was booed ruthlessly by a crowd of hunters. “I must confess, I watched that three or four times just because I thought it was hysterical,” Charles chided.
According to Charles, listening to the people is paramount. Mainers come first, then the tourists, he explained. However, he stipulates that tourism is a help to the state.
“I will say we've got to listen closely to those that make a living at it, as well as those who want to get their moose here,” Charles said. “And I, I know … I hear all sides on that. And I guess the short of it is, I'm very much in favor of the moose hunt. I want it to work for all Mainers. I want it to help us make money, but I also want it to be fair to Mainers.”
As far as the Second Amendment goes, the field is full of candidates who say they support it. Charles is no different. “This goes not just for guns, but for everything,” Charles said. “I think there is too much government in our face. We need to get rid of all the government regulations.”
He continued to cite the Bruen case, noting that governments take an opposite stance on the ruling. Charles said that Maine’s red flag law is an “abomination” and that they’re going to get rid of it. He notes that the law has a serious lack of due process.
“Just the signs on my yard could create the ‘uncomfortable situation’ that allows people to then come take my guns, and then I have to go fight for my guns again,” Charles said. “That's not due process. It's not the Fifth Amendment. That's not the 14th Amendment.”
Is Charles a Second Amendment purist? “I sleep with a 9mm beside me for obvious reasons … Everything about my view of the Second Amendment is freedom oriented,” said Charles. “I am all about expansion. There aren't limits. I mean, I don't know many Mainers that want to own a tank and a cannon, but if they do, I'm not particularly against that.”
Charles was asked about a number of different areas of policy in Maine. There were and/or are legislative pushes in the Pine Tree State and he weighed in on them. Portions of these answers have been shortened and it’s recommended that the interview in its entirety is watched HERE. Portions of this interview have been edited for clarity and ease of reading.
So-called “large-capacity” magazine bans:
I do not think there should be a limit, and here's my thinking on that. So I had tactical training. I was Navy intelligence for 10 years, but I also refreshed my tactical training … There's multiple reasons for which we use our guns, right? One is recreation. One is just target shooting. One is, which I do, some is hunting. Some is self-defense. I was always trained that if you are going to unload — first of all, if you're going to draw that weapon, you need to be prepared to use it. And if you use it, you need to empty the magazine. If we have bad guys that show up, one or two or three or five or six, I need to be able to reach into my own ability to defend myself without limit.
So-called “safe storage” mandates:
I have a locker, and if there are any — if there's anyone in the house that would be a problem — like kids (I) will (make sure) those are all under lock and key, but that nine millimeter is a self-protection tool …
Mainers need to be able to protect themselves. I believe that, yes, of course, safe storage is very important, just like knowing how your firearm works and making sure that it's clean and making sure that you're taking care of it. But I also think that if you look at the statistics, we have large numbers of guns in this state. We probably have as many guns or more than we have snow shovels and rakes. Okay? These are tools that Mainers use, and they keep them and they keep them properly, and that's why you don't see many accidents, and that's because firearm owners and users, like automobile owners and users, feel a sense of responsibility toward those around whom they operate the tool.
Studies on lead ammunition use:
I will tell you that it struck me as odd that a couple of times in the last 25 years when there was a lot of tension and people needed to be able to be ready to defend themselves against something, and I'm not talking about the government, per se. I'm talking about instability. I mean, unfortunately, bad guys move into areas where there's instability and they feel that there's not enough law enforcement. In those times, both 9mm and .22 ammunition became short, and it was odd to me. I mean, those are the two most commonly owned firearms, .22 and 9mms. And when there's insufficient ammunition, a gun isn't worth a whole lot if you can't find the ammunition to support it.
When I look at bills like the lead bill, like some of these other bills, I'm not saying that we shouldn't be thoughtful about how we arm ourselves, and what we put in the guns, but I am saying that some of this is intended to create restrictions, and a restriction on ammunition is actually tantamount to a restriction on the firearm. Right?
The so-called "ghost gun” law Governor Mills allowed to go into effect:
I am a public safety person, but I'm also a two-way person, so obviously what I worry about is that legislators put things out there, like a ghost gun law or like a red flag law … look, even the yellow flag laws, right? They were in place, but Lewiston still happened. Okay? …
If the mechanism by which you're trying to keep people safe is really just a restriction mechanism. It's really not a mechanism that is going to create real accountability. I think you just need to think hard about whether that's worth doing … I'm going to always tip on the side of the Second Amendment, the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth and the Sixth, because (the) government finds ways to word something that looks innocuous and then to overuse it in ways that restrict rights.
Restoration of rights to non-violent felons:
My feeling is, if you're a non-violent … like first out of the box — there's no policy answer on this that anybody's talked with me about — but my feeling is, if you're a non-violent offender, and your offense didn't have anything to do with misuse of firearms, and … you've paid your dues, and you're back in society again, as far as I'm concerned … we ought to look at — maybe it's a case by case — … the presumption ought to be that a right that you previously had that was not imperiled by the offense … that you were prosecuted for, shouldn't rob you of the right to later hunt and and make a living for (you or) hunt for your family … maybe there was an insurance fraud issue or something that you got taken in on, and you paid your dues, and I think maybe ought to be given that right again, sure.
Democratic proposal to add $500,000 to the Maine state budget for state lawmakers’ use for buying home security equipment:
It's complete bogus. Listen, this thing — thankfully, it was out of committee, but thankfully, the Republicans, I believe, were able to kill it. I hope — I think we're able to kill it on the floor. But there is no excuse.
Look, let me start with basics. The problem is not that we're being taxed too little. The problem is they spend too much …
We have the major drug traffickers in this state, which just going back 10 or 15 years ago, we never … (had) more overdoses in this state because there are more drug traffickers everywhere. What is the answer to that? The answer is, instead of addressing those issues, getting the drug traffickers out of here, wire brushing the illegal aliens out of here, the governor decides she's going to finish a great big wall around her home. And the legislators, the Democrats, propose us paying $450,000 — you and me — so that they can have a personal security system on their home. B*llshit.
Rumors about a so-called “assault weapon” ban referendum:
Go back to the study by John Lott again. Go back and look at the Brady Bill. It doesn't work. When you take guns away from law-abiding citizens, the only people left with the guns are the criminals. That's why gun-free school zones don't work. The reason that people feel free to commit crimes (with guns) … in areas where we are restricted from using the guns is that they know they're safe — as a criminal to use a gun in that environment. The odds are very low that they're going to … end up being confronted by a gun. (This is) the reason that in some parts of the state of Maine and other parts of the United States where there are — we have a constitutional carry — God bless that … and I think we should have a stand your ground law in this state.
Final thoughts on the Second Amendment and pitch:
I never thought three years ago I'd ever do something like this. I've never run for office in my life. I've managed billions of dollars. I did train the Iraqi police. I know what it means to take on big responsibility and to do it. I've fired hundreds of bureaucrats without problem. I incentivized a bunch of others to leave. I was five years a federal investigator. I know what it means to investigate fraud. I am a fiscal conservative. I am a conservative in just about every way you can think about it.
But I also believe that in this general election, in a strange alignment of stars, the things I want to do: dramatically drop property taxes, dramatically get rid of the income tax over four years, get rid of all these drug traffickers that are in here and really bring good addiction services in that makes sense, not giving away needles that you have to kick away when you walk your dog …
There are states just like ours — by the way — South Dakota has a similar demographic, instead of having 8,000 overdoses, they have 65 overdoses. We can get this back under control.
And then I want to get our school system back under control. I want to take this woke — and they say, “Well, why do you use the word woke?” I said, “What do you want me to use? Marxism?” Whatever the word is that describes a failure to teach real hard subjects, math, reading, science, history and instead teaching these kids to be activists and politically engaged leftists, that's not what the Maine school system was 20 - 30 years ago. We were the best in the country. We're now the worst in the country …
I think the Mainers in general, Democrats that were typical JFK Democrats, as well as independents and Republicans, they kind of are sick of it. I'm not an ideologue. I am a very straightforward, practical solutions person, and I think that's what Most Mainers are, maybe even 80 percent. I think they also don't want boys and girls, showers and bathrooms …
My commitment to you is I'm not interested in another certificate on my wall, I actually never — if I could just wave a magic wand and make all these things right, I don't need to be governor, okay? …
My appeal to you is go to BobbyForMaine.com. I'm the Jimmy Stewart character in this effort, not the Mr. Potter. I don't have millions of dollars. I have more than 4,000 Mainers who've given me small dollar donations. You may be one of them, but at the end of the day, we have to do this for ourselves. “All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing,” as Burke said, and we cannot be those people.
The Maine primary election is scheduled for June 9, 2026. Early voting runs from May 10 until June 4. As of the date of publication, the GOP candidates running in the gubernatorial primary are: Jonathan Bush, Bobby Charles, David Jones, Garrett Mason, Owen McCarthy, Ben Midgley, and Robert J. Wessels.
To catch our full conversation with Bobby Charles — and we recommended you do tune in for everything he had to say — click HERE or watch the interview in the embed below. Also be sure to catch our interviews with Jonathan Bush, Garrett Mason, and Ben Midgley.
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