AUGUSTA, Maine - A bill that would allow Mainers to carry a concealed weapon without a special permit is rapidly gaining momentum at the State House. Nearly 100 lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors of the measure, which some supports say aligns with the constitutional right to bear arms. But some acknowledge that it also reflects frustration over the complexities of Maine's concealed weapons permitting process.
The so-called "constitutional carry bill," says Republican state Sen. Eric Brakey, is a simple solution to the burdensome complexity of concealed weapons permitting in Maine. "All this really does is make it legal for a Maine gun owner to put on a jacket," Brakey said.
In Maine, obtaining a concealed weapons permit can take up to two months, and the applicant must seek approval from local authorities, or from the state police. Critics of the system say it leads to backlogs, and Brakey says his bill would eliminate the unnecessary barriers - and might even lower the crime rate at the same time.
"When you look at some of the areas in the country with the strictest controls on firearms, you also find that those are some of the areas with the most firearm violence. And when you think about that, it makes sense why," he said. "You're disarming law-abiding citizens, while criminals are still able to carry with impunity - because they're always going to be available on the black market - no matter what you do."
If approved, Maine would join six other states, including Vermont, that don't require concealed weapons permits. The Maine Chiefs of Police Association will oppose it - even if the organization says it understands why it's gained so much traction at the State House.
"Part of the origin of the bill is frustration with how local agencies make determinations of who should be issued a concealed weapons permit," said Bob Howe, a lobbyist for the Maine Chiefs of Police.
Howe says the group is not convinced that Maine would be made safer under the measure, and he hopes the Legislature will use caution in responding to concerns about the permitting process.
"I would like to think that maybe the process could be slowed down a little bit and take a closer look at the whole process and maybe come up with a more clear standard by which the towns or the state make this determination," Howe said, "rather than just throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water."
"The people that you actually don't want carrying a handgun, chances are already have one," said Claude Brown.
Brown said concerns over personal protection motivate a lot of people to pay him to provide firearms safety training at his Levant instruction center. He says Brakey's bill is a step forward for gun owners in Maine, a position shared by state Sen. David Burns, a Whiting Republican who served for 24 years as a Maine state trooper.
"The Constitution already guarantees that people have the right to possess and to carry and to bear arms," Burns said.
Democrat Lori Fowle, the chair of the Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, where the bill will be heard, says her panel wants to hear all of the arguments for and against Brakey's bill. But she says she will place a lot of weight on what law enforcement agencies have to say about it.