‘Maine Moms’ Aim for Background Checks on Gun Sales at Gun Shows
Posted by jhingarat21 on 25th Aug 2015
STATEWIDE (WGME) — A loophole allowing anyone to buy a firearm from a gun show without a background check has one group of people worried.
Currently, background checks are required if you’re buying a firearm from a shop, but not when you’re at a gun show.
The Background Check Initiative would close the loophole in Maine by requiring that all sales and transfers be conducted through a licensed gun dealer, ensuring a background check is carried out each time.
The group called Maine Moms is worried guns are getting into the hands of the wrong people.
But Maine State Senator Eric Brakey says if a criminal or a person wants a firearm, they’re going to find a way to get one regardless. “Every time you create barriers that make it more difficult for everyone to get a gun you’re taking firearms out of the hands of the people you want to have access to it,” Senator Brakey said.
Senator Brakey says he thinks the initiative is being “dressed up” as gun registration and he feels confident in saying a majority of the Maine voters don’t want that.