Usually, when I see some kind of bipartisan legislation on guns, it tends to suck. Look at the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, for starters. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was bad enough.
The same is true in most states, unfortunately. One exception is tax credits for gun storage devices, but in Maine, a new proposal is something that all 50 states should embrace.
You see, one bit of advice that's common is that if someone is having some kind of mental health issue, particularly depression, it's a good idea to hand their guns to someone for safekeeping. But there are problems with that in practice.
A Maine bill takes a massive step in alleviating at least some of those concerns.
An unusual mix of gun control proponents and opponents are backing a proposal to protect people who agree to hold onto firearms for others from legal liability.
Rep. Vicki Doudera, D-Camden, introduced Tuesday a bill that would provide immunity for those who hold weapons for someone else, such as a person who is having thoughts of suicide. It would make the holder immune from litigation for returning the gun at the end of the agreement unless the holder engages in illegal conduct while possessing the gun.
The proposal has already picked up support from members who have not seen eye to eye on other gun-related bills, particularly the array of measures that Democratic legislators introduced after Maine’s deadliest-ever mass shooting in 2023 that left 18 dead and 13 injured in Lewiston.
Among the cosponsors are Rep. Amy Arata, R-New Gloucester, Sen. Joe Martin, R-Rumford, and Rep. Jim White, R-Guilford, who is a gunsmith. Two of Doudera’s fellow Democrats, Rep. Tavis Hasenfus of Readfield and Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross of Portland, are also on the bill.
Doudera included a similar liability provision in her measure last year that would have allowed Mainers to voluntarily add their names to a “do-not-sell” list for firearms. That proposal passed each chamber before Doudera held it so she could study which agency would handle the list. She said she will reintroduce the do-not-sell list bill later this year and wanted to separate it from the firearm hold agreement measure to simplify each proposal.
Now, I think "do not sell" lists are idiotic. I think allowing people to hand over guns to a friend, then protecting that friend from being sued should they return them is a smart thing.
I've held onto someone's gun for them while they were dealing with a tough time. I was glad to do it. To be honest, at the time I never thought about what would happen if I gave them back and the person then took their own life, but I probably should have.
Luckily, it was never an issue, but it could have been.
Others think about that sort of thing and are hesitant. A bill like this would alleviate that concern and make them more likely to accept the responsibility.
As I said earlier, this needs to be on the books in all 50 states and all US territories.
The problem is that in some states, it won't matter. Universal background check laws prevent that sort of thing without jumping through far more hurdles than anyone would want to deal with. It's not something that can lawfully happen in those states, so any version of such a measure would need to address that, too.
Of course, they could just repeal universal background checks entirely, but we all know that's not going to happen.
Look, the truth is that two-thirds of all so-called gun deaths--deaths resulting from a gunshot--are suicides. It's imperative that we address suicides and eliminate them, and not just because it depowers the anti-gunners. This is one of those moments when the right thing to do is also the politically savvy thing to do.
Get it done, Maine, and get it done everywhere else.
