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 Garrett Mason was one.
Mason is a Maine politician and businessman. He entered politics at the age of 25, now 40-year-old Mason wants to take his experiences as a state legislator, former Maine senate majority leader, and from the private sector and put them to use. “The government can be a problem, not only in your personal life, but in your business,” says Mason. After spending eight years operating his own business with his wife, he said: “I really just couldn't sit by and watch what was going on here in Maine anymore and not do something about it, with the God-given experiences that I've had.”
“(I’m) passionate about education, school choice and government waste and spending; … I'm the only candidate in this race who's actually done something to affect all those things in your life,” said Mason. “Since I left public office in 2018 I started my own business, started a public affairs company where we work for companies. We represent people in front of the legislature; … farmers, construction workers, funeral directors. But we also do corporate relations outside of that as well. My wife and I own a construction company. We build small, under 1,000 square foot homes …”
One of the big draws for tourists as well as something that’s deeply rooted in Maine’s culture is the moose hunt. Some proposals have been floated about changing how outfitters can get tags via the lottery. The topic has been one that moose hunt enthusiasts have been tracking in the state. “It's no secret that in Maine moose hunting is big business,” said Mason. “Brings in a lot of money to our state every year, and the permits are worth a lot of money as well.“
Mason explained that his parents have both served in the legislature too — his father still is — and that they’ve been involved with the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee “which oversees the moose hunt and all of the licenses and guides, camps, all of that stuff.”
There was no commitment from Mason on whether or not the changes are good or bad. However, he does not discredit the importance of having a robust moose hunting program that Maine residents can participate in.
“There's a lot of people in our state who their dream is to go on a moose hunt,” said Mason. “And (... want to) get all four trophies under their belt, and it's getting harder and harder for Maine people to get a moose permit. One of the things that I think we have to be careful of in Maine is monetizing all of these moose licenses to the point where it's out of reach for the average Mainer or that hunter who just wants to come here and enjoy Maine just that one time in their life.”
Mason noted he’s also concerned about the economic impact, but reiterates that “the moose hunt is a very special thing, and we have to protect it the best way that we can and not turn it into a free-for-all, for people to make a lot of money off of.”
The support of gun owners, the Second Amendment right, and use of firearms is fairly represented with all the candidates Bearing Arms spoke to. To Mason, it’s simple; people don’t have to look much further than the Maine constitution.
“Article One, Section 16, is very clear that the right to keep and bear arms ‘shall not be questioned,’” Mason asserted. “And in my opinion, it's even more direct than the federal Second Amendment. And that's pretty simple to me.
“I think that the Maine constitution and the federal constitution very clearly dictate that you cannot prohibit people from owning guns. I've been very, very pro-Second Amendment, making sure people have the right to defend themselves, but also that they have the right to have a weapon to hunt with. I don't know that you'd find a better friend of the Second Amendment than me, and my voting record proves that.”
Mason 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 “red flag” law in Maine:
The red flag law, just for context for people, was passed (as a) citizens’ referendum. Basically, the anti-gun lobby went out, collected 80,000 plus signatures to get the red flag law on the ballot. I believe it was last year in the election. Last year it passed overwhelmingly. It was a pretty strong vote in favor of that in an off-year election. I think it was a 70/30 victory for the red flag law …
I agree with voices as diverse (as) Janet Mills and Paul LePage. That's a pretty broad swath of people who opposed that red flag law, and unfortunately, because of millions and millions of dollars pumped in on lies, they were able to win that victory at the ballot box. But I think it's a real problem for due process, for people's right to be able to have their gun (taken) based purely on speculation or hearsay that I think that that's a real problem.
The yellow flag law, there was a lot of people in this state who worked really hard to find a compromise that felt like (it) met the muster of most people after the horrific Lewiston shooting. I live in Lisbon Falls right next door to Lewiston, that's very — that was pretty close to home for us. If the yellow flag law simply would have been followed, that shooting may not have happened, and we weren't even implementing the laws that we had on the books when folks came in and tried to make an argument that it wasn't good enough …
I think that these laws speak for themselves. I think they're a huge infringement on people's rights, their constitutional rights, and it's something that I would work to amend significantly.
I think there's a common moniker in the legislature where people say, “Well, you can't oppose the citizens referendum,” or “You can't go back and change that.” I've never held that view. I've sponsored legislation to repeal things that I think went wrong on the ballot, and not afraid to do it again.
Increased funding so state-level SWAT officers can enforce the red flag law:
Maine has a crime problem. There's no question about it. We've traditionally been ranked as one of the safest places in the entire country, and I don't doubt that that's probably true, but that's not to say that if you live here, you notice something very different.
I'm on the county commission right now — I’m a glutton for punishment. I could go to get elected at these places, right? But we oversee the jail. And there was a time when I first came into office, early 2020, that we were making $700,000 on our jail, and now we're paying out over a million dollars because of the increased crime in the Lewiston-Auburn area and in our county.
I'm not one to oppose additional funds for law enforcement where it makes sense. But I think that you mentioning that just in general, all shows that we have a problem and that … we need to make sure that people have their Second Amendment rights. Because if we're putting that kind of effort into our law enforcement, then we probably have a problem, and we shouldn't be restricting people's rights to own a firearm.
So-called “large-capacity” magazine bans:
I have a long history of opposing that. I think it's one of those things that focus group really well when Michael Bloomberg asked the question. But I don't think in reality, it makes that much of a difference. I think if you have a large-capacity magazine and you want to go out to the firing range, it makes the day a lot more fun.
In reality, there's not any evidence that shows that that would have stopped something or would have made it less likely that an event would have occurred. You only need to look here in Lewiston to know that mass casualties can happen with or without high-capacity magazines, and you’re only ending up hurting the law-abiding citizen.
So-called “safe storage” mandates:
I think we should encourage safe storage at any time we can but, but mandating that in in a home, in somebody's personal, private residence, I think you also end up running into a problem where you are at a disadvantage if somebody comes into your home, if you're not going to be able to get to your weapons fast enough to defend yourself and your family. I think that each individual gun owner needs to make the decision for themselves as to how they store their gun, not the government.
Studies on lead ammunition use:
I'm not particularly up to speed on that. I remember that being a perennial issue, to be honest with you, in the legislature, that came up quite a bit. But it's something that I remember in the past that we opposed, traditionally as a caucus banning lead ammunition. I know that there (were) some studies. I believe it was — I know Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife did some work on it as well. I can't say I'm super versed on it, but I'm not apt to support any kind of ban on that type of ammunition.
The so-called "ghost gun” law Governor Mills allowed to go into effect:
The ghost gun situation is, once again, you're punishing the law abider. I think anybody can shave a serial number off a gun. I think anybody can print a 3D weapon. But in the end, you're only giving that opportunity to somebody who wants to break the law, in that they're going to make that anyways. No matter if you ban it or not, those things can still happen. People can override 3D printers. People can do those type of things. It's a scenario, once again, where you're only hurting someone who's going to follow the law.
Restoration of rights to non-violent felons:
I think it's a case-by-case situation. I think you have to look at it — I have heard about that push in the legislature. It's something that I would consider supporting, especially if it's non-violent crime. But it's a, it would be — I would be interested to see how that bill is crafted and turned out, because the specifics on that really matter …
I think largely it would depend on the violence. I think it would depend if somebody committed a serious crime with a weapon that hurts someone, I think we have to take a look at that.
But, but on the flip side, if it's a non-violent felony that you went to jail for, I think there's a conversation around that.
Democratic proposal to add $500,000 to the Maine state budget for state lawmakers’ use for buying home security equipment:
As someone who was a state legislator and had threats made against them, and someone whose parents served in the legislature, I can tell you that threats are very real, but I can tell you that I don't think we should be paying for people's security systems.
(I) think they're pretty inexpensive on Amazon, or if you go through ADT for monitoring services. It's not something that I'm supportive of, but I am supportive of making sure that legislators are safe and that capitol police, that they know how to contact capitol police (reporting) any threats that are made against them and that they know how to protect themselves are necessary. Probably wouldn't be in favor of providing security cameras to legislators, but I understand the concern.
Rumors about a so-called “assault weapon” ban referendum:
I think it's a convenient use of terminology. And I think when you say assault weapons, I remember this graph that was passed around — not a graph, but a graphic — that was passed around 10 years ago that showed the uninformed person what certain features on an assault weapon were that were actually safety features and made the gun a lot more safe for people to use, not not less safe and more automatic.
I think when people hear assault weapons, they think automatic weapon, and it's just a definition war that the left has made on people who are enthusiasts of these type(s) of weapons. In my opinion, I would strongly oppose something like that. I think the way things are right now are perfectly fine, and it wouldn't be anything that I would support.
Final thoughts on the Second Amendment:
I think for so many people the Second Amendment, when they hear the Second Amendment, they think — I think the left, particularly, has really driven into people's mind — that it's about hunting, and that's not really what it's all about. Of course, that's part of it, but it's about defending yourself from a tyrannical government. That's why the Second Amendment was put into place …
I would warn people to be very cautious when they start hearing a gun rights advocate talk about what the Second Amendment is, because I haven't heard one yet articulate it appropriately or correctly. If I could say one thing to voters, it would be, “Buyer beware,” and make sure you're getting your information from all sources before you make a decision.
Final pitch to voters:
In Maine we have a unique opportunity to be a bastion of freedom in the Northeast, and I think that the next governor needs to be ready to go on day one. And as far as the Republicans go, I can't speak for the Democrats, but as far as the Republicans go, there is only one person in this race that has the experience and proven record to do the things that we're talking about, everything that we've talked about today. I've cast votes on everything that we've talked about today. I have a proven record that I can go back to and say that I fought and I've delivered for many voters …
When you go to the polls on June 9, I think what you really need to think about is who's been in the trenches, who's fought the fights, and who's actually won. And I think when you think about those things, you (are) going to come to one conclusion, and so I'd ask for people's vote on June 9. It's a really crowded, seven-way primary, but I think we need experience in this election, and I have that …
Go ahead on over to MasonForMaine.com. From there, you can go to all of our socials and learn more about the campaign, how you can get involved, and, even more importantly, donate, right? So I'd love to have people's support.
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 Garrett Mason — 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, Bobby Charles, and Ben Midgley.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Bearing Arms's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member