A bid to create a red flag law to seize guns from dangerous people has qualified for the November ballot.
Maine election officials said Friday that they validated more than 74,000 signatures to put the proposal on the ballot.
If approved by voters, the law would allow family members or law enforcement to directly petition a judge to have someone's guns removed. More than 21 other states have red flag laws and most allow family members to petition a judge.
The proposal was introduced by the Maine Gun Safety Coalition and it's expected to meet fierce resistance from the National Rifle Association and other local gun rights groups.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has also voiced opposition to the initiative, saying it would undermine a compromise yellow flag law that she crafted alongside the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine in 2019.
Use of the current law has exploded since the Lewiston mass shooting in 2023, but it was not used to disarm the gunman who killed 18 people and wounded dozens of others.
