It’s time to ask questions.

A former U.S. attorney general says that she prosecuted the cases of criminals in which 1,500 guns from Maine were used in the crimes.

Question: Why didn’t we hear about the prosecution of those who sold those guns? You see, it is against federal law to sell a gun to someone from out of state. Not just by a FFL dealer, by anyone. If the person who bought the gun was a resident of Maine, then either they had to commit the crime in Massachusetts, and that would have made the local news here, or they brought it to Massachusetts and sold it to someone there. That is breaking a federal law, a felony. If a resident of Maine who could legally buy a gun here, but did it for someone else, then they broke a federal law, a felony called a straw purchase.

So, why didn’t this U.S. attorney general prosecute these felonies? Why is there so little desire to use existing laws to stop the criminals from obtaining guns?

Why is the lack of prosecution of the existing laws called “loopholes?” Why do we need a state law to duplicate the purpose of a federal law that this attorney general refused to enforce?

James Bouford

Augusta


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