Gov. Janet Mills has signed into a law her proposal to expand background checks for firearm sales and crisis receiving centers.
The governor's bill was a response to the Lewiston mass shootings and one that straddles the competing interests in Maine gun politics.
The expansion of background checks on advertised gun sales was a priority for gun safety groups.
Meanwhile, the crisis receiving center initiative is a response to gun rights advocates who called for strengthening the state's mental health system.
The proposal also makes a slight tweak to Maine's yellow flag law without changing the steps required to confiscate guns from a person deemed a danger to themselves or others, or removing the requirement for a mental health evaluation.
The evaluation requirement distinguishes Maine's risk protection order law from the so-called red flag laws that exist in 21 other states.
While gun safety groups pushed for a red flag law during the regular session, the proposal was never put up for a vote.
The governor has not yet acted on two other gun safety proposals. One creates a three-day waiting period for purchases and another bans devices that allow a semi-automatic weapon to fire like a machine gun.
