I want to believe that the quest for less gun violence is considered by everyone to be at least worthwhile, if not downright imperative. The debate is all about how to get there.
Widespread consensus exists that improving mental health is essential. Preventative measures to address the determinants of mental health and investment in our mental health care delivery services are both key components. But that is not enough. There will still be violent criminals, and people will still get depressed, suicidal, angry and impulsive.
Should those people have unrestricted access to firearms? Again, I have to believe that no one actually thinks they should.
The question becomes how do we limit their access to firearms without infringing on the rights of others. It can be done without it being a “punishment” to law-abiding citizens, despite the provocative claims made in a recent Press Herald op-ed (“Do not punish Mainers for Lewiston shooting,” March 9).
Even though Maine is a great place to live, it is not immune from gun violence. Maine has the highest gun death rate in New England. In 2021, 178 people died in Maine by firearms; 158 were suicides. Between 2010 and 2019, the overall gun death rate in Maine increased by 45%. And now we’ve had a mass shooting. It’s time we take sensible steps to address the issue of gun violence.
Proposed legislation should be evaluated for its likelihood of preventing further acts of gun violence, including suicide, not for whether it would have prevented any particular past shooting event, such as the tragedy in Lewiston. We cannot erase the past, but we can influence the future.
Currently in Maine, a gun can be sold at a gun show or through a private sale or given to an acquaintance without a requirement for a background check. Federal law requires only licensed dealers to perform background checks. In Maine in 2020 alone, that law prevented 937 convicted felons, fugitives, perpetrators of domestic violence and other prohibited individuals from obtaining a firearm.
It is not known how many such individuals are avoiding background checks and easily buying guns in Maine, because there is no reporting or record keeping requirement for private transfers. That loophole should be closed. Contrary to claims based on misrepresented data, background checks are highly reliable, with, according to a 2016 Department of Justice report on the efficacy of the national system, over 99% accuracy for denied applications.
Maine has an especially high rate of suicide: 251 total deaths in 2022, the most recent year for which records were complete. More than 50% are completed with a firearm. About half of suicide attempts occur within 10 minutes of the suicidal thought, and access to firearms, the most lethal method, is associated with a higher death rate. It is not surprising that mandatory waiting periods have been shown to decrease both gun suicide and total suicide rates. They allow for time (including for angry individuals at risk for violent impulsive behavior) to cool off and get help, and an opportunity for family and friends to intervene.
State-level gun laws passed in 40 states between 1991 and 2016, particularly background checks and waiting periods, showed strong consistent reductions in both firearm homicides and suicides and saved an estimated 4,297 lives in 2016 alone.
Such requirements might present a minor inconvenience to prospective responsible gun owners, who might have to plan ahead when buying a firearm, but do not otherwise infringe on their rights. A poll conducted last June showed that 72% of Maine voters supported both universal background checks and a 72-hour waiting period.
It is time for the gun lobby to quit its opposition to gun laws that restrict firearm access for criminals and protect people in crisis, and stop the false narrative that such laws infringe on anyone’s Second Amendment rights. This legislation being considered by the Judiciary Committee, if enacted, will meet objectives that make good sense, save lives and Mainers agree on.
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