• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Portland Daily Sun - City council to consider begging state for more gun control

doorbell

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Messages
64
Location
Portland, Maine-Bar Harlem, Maine
http://www.portlanddailysun.me/cgi/story2.pl?storyid=201011080510491000391

Thanks to Shane, Paul and everyone who is standing up for our rights.

SNIP

. . .

“All the sources I've talked to said it will be struck down immediately,” said Shane Belanger, founder of the Maine Open Carry Association. “This is the fifth time Portland has tried to do this, we’re not very concerned,” he said.

Belanger garnered attention last spring when he organized an open carry rally at Back Cove, and said state law is on the side of gun advocates.

The Maine State Constitution reads: "Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall never be questioned."

. . .

“First they stated that they’ll exempt people with concealed carry licenses, effectively just banning open carry in these public places, and that got the NRA not to show up,” said Belanger.

“When the NRA didn’t show up, they immediately changed it to how it was before the meeting [banning both concealed and open carry], they kind of did a little trickery there,” Belanger said.

Trickery aside, Belanger said he takes issue with the resolution because of its flouting of facts and public opinion on the subject of gun prohibition.

“What’s even more interesting is that we had 15 people who spoke in opposition of the resolution, and two people who spoke for it,” he said. “The people spoke out against it, yet it still was pushed through.”

Belanger said statistically, more firearms mean less crime, meaning the public would in fact be safer if the resolution were not to pass.


“You would think to protect public they would be pushing for less firearms restriction, but they don't want to listen to any statistical data,” he said.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Maine CWP Training

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Messages
463
Location
Harrison
“First they stated that they’ll exempt people with concealed carry licenses, effectively just banning open carry in these public places, and that got the NRA not to show up,” said Belanger.
Not even close Shane~I worked 8, 18-hour days just prior to the vote and I am already working with the legislature and governor elects office.
 

ep0k

Regular Member
Joined
May 21, 2010
Messages
273
Location
Wiscasset, Maine, USA
no, you declared it a success before it came to fruition.

I've got to side with Norman on this one, Paul. You declared a victory and then Skolnik pulled his little tricks. Where's the lawyer from Fairfax we kept hearing about? For that matter, where have you been for these meetings? If this thing was such a slam-dunk, how come its still on the agenda even with Skolnik off the council?

We hear a lot of talk about all the hard work and effort you're putting into all this and strangely never see a single quantifiable result from it.
 
Last edited:

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
I've got to side with Norman on this one, Paul. You declared a victory and then Skolnik pulled his little tricks. Where's the lawyer from Fairfax we kept hearing about? For that matter, where have you been for these meetings? If this thing was such a slam-dunk, how come its still on the agenda even with Skolnik off the council?

We hear a lot of talk about all the hard work and effort you're putting into all this and strangely never see a single quantifiable result from it.

I believe Paul has done a lot for firearm rights in Maine on a larger scale. I also feel that his support seems to end when concealed carry is permitted, and I feel that this is due in part to the fact that he does gain financially from CCW permit training. I do not hold that against Paul and it makes sense for him to take that position. I greatly appreciate the hard work that Paul does do in his corner of firearm rights. I believe we are at odds with some issues, but that on many more issues we are on the same side.
 

doorbell

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Messages
64
Location
Portland, Maine-Bar Harlem, Maine
I believe Paul has done a lot for firearm rights in Maine on a larger scale. I also feel that his support seems to end when concealed carry is permitted, and I feel that this is due in part to the fact that he does gain financially from CCW permit training. I do not hold that against Paul and it makes sense for him to take that position. I greatly appreciate the hard work that Paul does do in his corner of firearm rights. I believe we are at odds with some issues, but that on many more issues we are on the same side.


I really doubt money has anything to do with it. I do not think that is fair to Paul.
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
I really doubt money has anything to do with it. I do not think that is fair to Paul.

I said that is the way I feel, I didn't say that it may or may not be the truth. It is merely my perception. I also said that it played a part, not that it was his whole reasoning or anything. I have tried very hard to give Paul the benefit of the doubt in this regard throughout our struggles. The reasons that I have this perception are many. I have yet to see Paul OC at any event we have had. When he speaks, he speaks about concealed carry much more than open carry. He makes posts saying we have prevailed in the committee when we have not prevailed yet in anything. He also pushes his website and business at every event we host.

I want to reiterate that I don't believe that is necessarily a bad position to have. He is still on our side when it comes to firearms rights. I believe he does do a lot of work to further our mutual goals. What he doesn't do is step outside of our mutual goals into our goals. I don't blame him, they aren't within his scope and that's okay... even though sometimes it can be frustrating...
 

Maine CWP Training

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Messages
463
Location
Harrison
For the record I have spent thousands of hours spanning over two decades supporting gun rights in Maine without regard to concealed carry, or compensation including traveling to Acadia National Park and back at no expense to MOCA.

We have been communicating with the full council and more importantly the legislature and governor elect.

Similar resolutions have been voted down five times so far.
Long before MOCA existed.
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
For the record I have spent thousands of hours spanning over two decades supporting gun rights in Maine without regard to concealed carry, or compensation including traveling to Acadia National Park and back at no expense to MOCA.

We have been communicating with the full council and more importantly the legislature and governor elect.

Long before MOCA existed.

So will we see you OCing at the next city council meeting on Monday?
 
Top