AUGUSTA, Maine - Gun control groups are urging Maine residents to help defeat a bill that would allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and the Maine chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released TV, radio and digital ads Thursday that claim that the proposal would put Maine people at risk.
The TV ad says the bill would allow people with no training, "even violent criminals,'' to carry hidden weapons in public.
The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Eric Brakey, says people shouldn't be treated as an "instant criminal'' just because they want to carry a gun under a jacket. Residents don't need a permit to openly carry a handgun.
A committee plans to hold a work session on the bill Friday.
