Speaking of weak Democrats, you have no idea how much trouble I've had getting Democrats in #Maine to introduce or otherwise advocate for gun reform legislation. I've written multiple times to the chair of the Democratic Senate Committee, the Executive Director of the Maine Democratic Party, Senate President Mattie Daughtry (my state senator), the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, and more. All of them refuse to answer me. What cowardice. #Politics #Democrats #Guns #GunReform #Democracy #US #USpol

@michaelmagras I think the Dems are wise not to embrace the MGSC agenda wholesale.

To take just one example, revoking Constitutional Carry would end any chances of Dems winning outside of Portland and maybe a few pockets on the coast.

@fm2279 I agree, but my request has nothing to do with that. It's possible to have gun reform legislation that does not infringe upon other Second Amendment rights, as many other states have done. (I'll reserve further comment on what I think of the Second Amendment, but you can probably guess.)

@michaelmagras "Gun reform legislation" is pretty vague.

If you're not talking about the given example, then it's hard for readers to have any idea at all what it is you want Daughtry (and Maine Dems) to do.

A lot of the bills that have come out of the offices of Southern Maine Dems have been pretty rightly panned by lots of folks, including the ACLU (e.g. the ill-conceived ten-round limit on semi-automatics).

@fm2279 Under Maine law, municipalities are allowed to regulate where and when residents may shoot guns. Most communities in our area do so, but ours won't. I've asked for legislation that would make it mandatory. That legislation would not in any way infringe upon a resident's right to own firearms. It would merely stop them from taking target practice in the backyard (an utterly pointless activity) and frightening unsuspecting neighbors.

@michaelmagras My understanding is that municipalities are empowered to regulate the discharge of firearms.

The municipality wherein I reside does so, as you say most do (that is consistent with my limited experience, too).

I'm sympathetic if you have neighbors who behave badly with firearms. But that sounds like a local issue, not necessarily a state one.

@fm2279 The state could make it an issue. As I'm sure you know, Maine municipalities have home rule. They can do as they please, as long as their actions do not violate state or federal law. If the state makes it mandatory, the municipality would have to abide. Hence my messages to Mattie Daughtry. I'm aware of the prospects of passage, but you have to start somewhere. Unless one cares more about staying in power than solving problems.

@michaelmagras Not saying bad neighbors doing bad things with guns in tight quarters isn't a problem.

Just feel like it's a local one.

I don't even know how you'd write a statewide statute that would help you without being far too broad.

@fm2279 I should think it would involve changing "may" to "shall." Others have acknowledged that it could be done. That Mattie Daughtry and the Maine Democratic Party won't even answer me is what has me the angriest at the moment.
@michaelmagras I think what people may hear when you describe this is, "I want the entire state to change because I have a bad neighbor (and apparently can't or won't work with other neighbors to fix it locally)".
@fm2279 If that's what they hear, then they're not listening. I expanded on this matter in another thread.