A congressional candidate is double-speaking on his state’s “red flag” law. Matt Dunlap, D-Maine, said that the passage of the measure was “promising,” but he has backtracked on those remarks.
Maine Congressional District 2 has a three-person race with two frontrunners vying for the spot. Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden is not seeking reelection. Republican former Governor Paul LePage is facing off with Democratic former Maine Secretary of State and current State Auditor Matthew Dunlap. (Independent candidate Gregory Ward is listed on Ballotpedia as a write-in.) When it comes to firearms, Dunlap has given out mixed messages on Maine’s red flag law, and buyers need to beware.
Previous to the passage of the red flag ballot referendum, there was a so-called “yellow flag” law in place. While the dubious nature of all of these civil forfeiture and disarmament laws is continually questioned by Second Amendment advocates, the yellow flag law had some due process protections for affected parties. The referendum changed the Pine Tree State’s law from one where there were constitutional protections to the current system lacking those protections.
Three organizations relevant to the Second Amendment and sportsmen — the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of Maine, and the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine — have weighed in on this race and candidate grades are in. LePage is rated “A+” by all three organizations. Dunlap, however, has mixed ratings with an ”F” from Gun Owners of Maine, ”C” from NRA, and ”A+” from the Sportsmen’s Alliance. Gun owners and sportsmen in Maine, this is something to pay close attention to.
According to a candidate conversation transcript put out by the Maine Women’s Lobby, Dunlap is in full support of the state’s red flag law. This is something that Gun Owners of Maine noted on Dunlap’s candidate report card: “Matthew Dunlap is on record as opposing ‘Red Flag’ or Extreme Risk Protection Orders and publicly encouraged Maine voters to vote against a ‘Red Flag’ law. He is now quoted as saying, ‘One of the things I think is promising is, the passage of Question 2, the Red Flag Law’.”
The full transcript actually goes deeper where Dunlap not only said the passage was “promising” but that it would “make people safer.” He acknowledged that similar measures failed in the legislature due to “great resistance” because “some of the legal folks were concerned about how this could be misused by very enterprising and energetic divorce lawyers.”
“Well, and as you know, I mean, I was chair of the Fish and Wildlife Committee, I was executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, etc.“ Dunlap opened when discussing the “gun violence” issue in Maine. Dunlap further stated that he’s a gun owner and outdoorsman — aka, “I’m just like you.”
“That said, I do think these are issues that we cannot simply draw them out. And, allow ourselves to be divided,” Dunlap said. “Everybody has to work on this issue. One of the things I think is promising is, the passage of Question 2, the Red Flag Law.”
In their election guide the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine said that Dunlap is “a long-time friend of sportsmen and women, the SAM-ILA included.” They further noted that he’s the former executive director of the group, “he often writes for the SAM newsletter,” as well as he “received a perfect grade on his SAM-ILA questionnaire and has a strong record on conservation and firearm rights.”
SAM gave both LePage and Dunlap A+ ratings; the organization has not endorsed a candidate in the race.
Nowhere in SAM’s write up are Dunlap’s remarks supporting red flag laws to the Maine Women’s Lobby. Maine Women’s Lobby is not an organization that supports so-called “gun control” as a primary policy, however they do list “gun safety” as a priority.
“Our nation’s gun violence epidemic has a deep impact on the safety, health, and wellbeing of women and gender minorities,” Maine Women’s Lobby wrote in a 2024 blog post. “This brief focuses on the impact of gun violence on women and gender minorities, and points to policy solutions to keep our communities safer.”
Linked therein is the Maine Women’s Lobby “Gun Safety Brief.” To summarize, they’re not looking to further enhance and/or remove restrictions to the Second Amendment rights of the people of Maine. They listed “Enact an Extreme Risk Protection Order Law” as a specific policy solution in the 2024 document.
The National Rifle Association, which only published its grade without commentary, was contacted concerning Dunlap. They were asked for an opinion on the race and Dunlap’s rhetoric.
“Maine gun owners have every right to be concerned and confused about where Matt Dunlap stands on the Second Amendment,” NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford told Bearing Arms. “Dunlap supports extending the federal background-check delay on gun purchases to 30 days, accepts campaign contributions from anti-gun groups, and travels the state with politicians who want to restrict Second Amendment rights. Maine gun owners deserve a Congressman they can trust to always defend their Constitutional rights — and that candidate is clearly former Governor Paul LePage.”
When asked directly about the statements to Maine Women’s Lobby and how Dunlap seems to “overwhelmingly support the law,” the Dunlap campaign skirted the question, but refutes that he supports the measure.
"Matt Dunlap did not vote for the red flag law and does not support it,” Harry Burke, Dunlap’s campaign manager, told Bearing Arms. “Matt is a lifelong sportsman and gun owner. As chair of the Legislature’s Fish and Wildlife Committee, he wrote the bill that created lifetime hunting and fishing licenses in Maine. There is no one on the November ballot who has done more for Maine sportsmen and the Second Amendment than Matt Dunlap.”
Dunlap allegedly may have not “voted” for the red flag law, but he did voice his strong support for it when speaking to the Maine Women’s Lobby — an organization that championed for such laws to be enacted just two years prior in their policy guide.
The only candidate in Maine’s Congressional District 2 race to receive straight A+s from all three of the organizations is former Governor LePage.
Gun Owners of Maine pointed out LePage’s Second Amendment support on its candidate grades page.
“During his eight years as Governor, Paul LePage signed into law ‘Constitutional Carry’, allowing responsible Maine gun owners to carry a concealed handgun without having to get permission to exercise their constitutionally protected right to do so,” Gun Owners of Maine wrote. “He vetoed legislation that would have infringed on the due process rights of Mainers, and protected the information of concealed carry permit holders.”
Burke’s remark on Dunlap’s past is a mystery. He’s allegedly “done more for Maine sportsmen and the Second Amendment” and that somehow equates to being more pro-Second Amendment than LePage signing into law permitless carry?
As far as that commitment to the Second Amendment goes, LePage himself says that he’s always defended the right.
"Some people think the Second Amendment is just words on a paper,” former Governor LePage told Bearing Arms. “I understand it is one of the core, fundamental freedoms within our Constitution. That's why I consistently defended this right as Governor and I will do so as our next Congressman."
LePage’s campaign did not stop there with their commentary. They weighed in on this perceived flip-flopping that the Dunlap campaign engages in depending on who they’re speaking with or responding to.
"Once again, Matt Dunlap sticks his finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing when it comes to our constitutional rights,” Lauren LePage, senior adviser to the LePage campaign, said. “He recently said gun confiscation is a step in the right direction. Mainers know: Paul LePage has a proven track record of protecting our rights which is why he received an A+ from SAM, the NRA and Gun Owners of Maine."
Could a Representative Dunlap be the liberal equivalent of a Senator Collins as far as policy decisions go? Would Dunlap be cut loose from the partisan line when it comes to firearm and Second Amendment-related legislation? Gun owners in Maine should be asking themselves these questions before they cast their ballot.
More likely — based on his record — voters could look to a Representative LePage and consider it a foregone conclusion that he’ll be voting pro-liberty every opportunity he gets. In my book, three A+s and signing into law permitless carry beats an F, C, and A+ all day every day when it comes to the Second Amendment.
The midterm general election in Maine and the U.S. is Tuesday, November 3. Early voting in Maine started on October 5.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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