Maine Gun Safety Coalition Announces 2020 Safety Leader Candidates

Today the Maine Gun Safety Coalition (MGSC), Maine’s longest standing and only state-based organization dedicated to protecting Mainers from gun violence, is proud to announce its recognition of 23 Safety Leaders running for House or Senate in Maine this November 3“. The group includes three candidates for state senate and twenty candidates for state house. Nine of those recognized are incumbents.

The Maine Gun Safety Coalition’s Safety Leaders were selected because of their support for common sense gun safety legislation as indicated in a survey sent to all candidates for the Maine Senate and House of Representatives in late summer. The full results will be released later this week.

The survey questioned the candidates about their support for several gun safety policies, including a more robust background check law and Extreme Risk Protection Order law (or “Red Flag” law) than currently exist under Maine law, legislation that would allow municipalities to ban the possession of firearms at public meetings, the creation of penalties for gun owners who allow their firearms to be accessed and discharged by children, and the regulation of print-at-home 3D guns and assemble-at-home firearms (so-called “ghost guns”).

Geoff Bickford, the Executive Director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, stated: “We are proud to recognize these candidates for their dedication to saving the lives of Mainers through common sense gun safety legislation. These are the types of laws we hope to see enacted in the 130" Maine Legislature, and these candidates will lead the way. Be they incumbents or running for the first time, the Safety Leaders know that these life-saving measures are the types of policies that the overwhelming majority of the public support — and for good reason: they work.”

Maine Gun Safety Coalition is a grassroots organization founded in 2000 to protect Maine families and communities from gun violence. We advocate for evidence-based policies by initiating legislation, convening stakeholders, and electing candidates who support common sense gun laws. Our mission is to save lives through education, research, and programming. We educate parents, health care providers, law enforcement, and the public about preventing domestic violence, suicides, and illegal gun use. We provide free trigger locks to prevent unintentional shootings and firearm theft.

For more information, contact:

Geoff Bickford 207-780-0501
geoff@mainegunsafety.org