shanebelanger
Accomplished Advocate
I will keep everyone updated via this thread: post any and all questions and comments here.
P.S. There will be a lawyer flying up from Fairfax, Virginia to help us fight this.
Where: Portland City Hall 389 Congress St. Portland, Maine
Time: TBA
On the 14th of September there will be a Portland Public Safety Committee meeting lead by none other than Dan Skolnik. WE MUST SHOW UP TO THIS WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. BUT REMEMBER, WE ARE NOT THERE TO INCITE A PROBLEM, on the contrary. We want to show them that we are typical, normal everyday folks just going about their daily lives. We do NOT want to draw attention to ourselves or be disruptive in ANY way. You can choose to OC or CC or do whatever you would like, I would simply like to have as many people on our side as possible. Don't feel like you need to carry to come to this. Our intention is simply to show them that the populace does not want more firearms laws.
RE:
Prohibition on Guns in Public Facilities
At Councilor Skolnik’s request Chief Craig and I met with him to discuss reasonable
steps the Maine Legislature could take to expand existing state laws prohibiting guns in certain
facilities.
Those prohibitions include court houses, jails, public school grounds and community
colleges and the Capitol complex in Augusta:
17-A M.R.S.A. § 1058: Guns prohibited in court houses (attached);
17-A M.R.S.A. § 757: Guns prohibited in jails (attached);
20A M.R.S.A. § 6552: Guns prohibited on school grounds (attached);
State Admin Rules 16-219 Department of Public Safety: Guns prohibited in Capitol complex
(attached);
State and federal law pre-empts local authority to regulate the right to bear arms. That is
why this limited approach to new state legislation makes sense. Portland can call on the
Legislature to expand its own laws in a way that conforms with the right to bear arms.
While that right is broad and well protected by law, its exercise can be reasonably
controlled in carefully defined situations and facilities, as demonstrated by the previously cited
statutes, as well as a state statute prohibiting guns in bars (which are generally private property;
see 17-A M.R.S.A. § 1057; attached).
With this goal in mind, the State could prohibit firearms in public facilities; that is,
facilities owned by a governmental body or agency such as city and town halls, recreational
facilities, and entertainment facilities or similar facilities owned by quasi-governmental agencies
and to which the public has access.
Councilor Skolnik will ask the Public Safety Committee to take this issue up at its
meeting on September 14th following a public hearing, the Committee will consider whether to
send a Resolution to the Council. The resolution may be framed in a number of ways, including
asking MMA to draft and support legislation that prohibit firearms in public facilities.
Some exceptions to such a prohibition would include, law enforcement personnel or for
events at which facilities have been leased for gun shows, worthwhile to examine whether someone with a Concealed Weapons Permit should be exempted.
Chief Craig will support legislation that is focused on public facilities and will ask
Maine’s police chiefs and sheriffs to support it. His guidance in the discussion to date has been
to define very specific expansions that do not impact hunters but do add to public safety. For
instance, in Portland he sees a need for greater public protection at places like City Hall,
Fitzpatrick Stadium, Merrill Auditorium, and the Expo.
The Public Safety Committee will work with PPD, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s
Office, and the Portland-area legislative delegation to determine reasonable steps to propose in
Augusta.
P.S. There will be a lawyer flying up from Fairfax, Virginia to help us fight this.
Where: Portland City Hall 389 Congress St. Portland, Maine
Time: TBA
On the 14th of September there will be a Portland Public Safety Committee meeting lead by none other than Dan Skolnik. WE MUST SHOW UP TO THIS WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. BUT REMEMBER, WE ARE NOT THERE TO INCITE A PROBLEM, on the contrary. We want to show them that we are typical, normal everyday folks just going about their daily lives. We do NOT want to draw attention to ourselves or be disruptive in ANY way. You can choose to OC or CC or do whatever you would like, I would simply like to have as many people on our side as possible. Don't feel like you need to carry to come to this. Our intention is simply to show them that the populace does not want more firearms laws.
RE:
Prohibition on Guns in Public Facilities
At Councilor Skolnik’s request Chief Craig and I met with him to discuss reasonable
steps the Maine Legislature could take to expand existing state laws prohibiting guns in certain
facilities.
Those prohibitions include court houses, jails, public school grounds and community
colleges and the Capitol complex in Augusta:
17-A M.R.S.A. § 1058: Guns prohibited in court houses (attached);
17-A M.R.S.A. § 757: Guns prohibited in jails (attached);
20A M.R.S.A. § 6552: Guns prohibited on school grounds (attached);
State Admin Rules 16-219 Department of Public Safety: Guns prohibited in Capitol complex
(attached);
State and federal law pre-empts local authority to regulate the right to bear arms. That is
why this limited approach to new state legislation makes sense. Portland can call on the
Legislature to expand its own laws in a way that conforms with the right to bear arms.
While that right is broad and well protected by law, its exercise can be reasonably
controlled in carefully defined situations and facilities, as demonstrated by the previously cited
statutes, as well as a state statute prohibiting guns in bars (which are generally private property;
see 17-A M.R.S.A. § 1057; attached).
With this goal in mind, the State could prohibit firearms in public facilities; that is,
facilities owned by a governmental body or agency such as city and town halls, recreational
facilities, and entertainment facilities or similar facilities owned by quasi-governmental agencies
and to which the public has access.
Councilor Skolnik will ask the Public Safety Committee to take this issue up at its
meeting on September 14th following a public hearing, the Committee will consider whether to
send a Resolution to the Council. The resolution may be framed in a number of ways, including
asking MMA to draft and support legislation that prohibit firearms in public facilities.
Some exceptions to such a prohibition would include, law enforcement personnel or for
events at which facilities have been leased for gun shows, worthwhile to examine whether someone with a Concealed Weapons Permit should be exempted.
Chief Craig will support legislation that is focused on public facilities and will ask
Maine’s police chiefs and sheriffs to support it. His guidance in the discussion to date has been
to define very specific expansions that do not impact hunters but do add to public safety. For
instance, in Portland he sees a need for greater public protection at places like City Hall,
Fitzpatrick Stadium, Merrill Auditorium, and the Expo.
The Public Safety Committee will work with PPD, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s
Office, and the Portland-area legislative delegation to determine reasonable steps to propose in
Augusta.
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