On October 25, 2023, our political landscape changed dramatically. More on that in a moment. First, for all the families, friends, SAM members and anyone who had loved ones in the Lewiston tragedy, I know I speak for the sportsmen and women of Maine when I say we are sincerely sorry for your loss. We know there is little we can do to ease your sorrow, but from all of us, we pledge to treat your loss with respect and to reject using your loss for political ends. We pledged on day one to move forward with new policies that prevent such tragedies in the future and reject the politics of opportunism. As a show of respect to the families we refused to take press interviews, instead, I analyzed Sagadahoc County Sherriff’s police reports, scoured details of the incidents and determined where individuals and systems failed.
I reached out to Senator Collin’s office and requested she lead the national response. I asked for an Inspector General independent investigation to be conducted, she initiated it. I asked her to consider submitting legislation to create continuity between the military and states when dealing with soldiers in need of mental health services and care when deemed a danger to themselves or others. She announced that effort recently. I asked her to examine the perpetrators brain for damage caused in military service, when the military tried to downplay decades of grenade concussion, she did. I went to the Governor and Speaker of the House and helped craft an expansion of crisis intervention mental health service centers to underserved areas. It passed.
We led, not for political purposes, but to save Maine lives in the future, respect our service members, when in the line of duty, they are injured and need help, before it is too late. We offered policy solutions, when others played political games. We understand national gun control groups are opportunists and would take advantage of the situation to pass laws restricting firearm rights, even though they had nothing to do with or would prevent such a tragedy in the future. They did not disappoint.
What was disappointing was our state leadership’s response. The Senate Judiciary Chair, Anne Carney, (seeking the Senate President seat in 2024) in her quest to clear a path for gun control measures dismissed even the most fundamental rules of respect for the public hearing and legislative process. She is the silent leader of the gun control activists and her desire for new gun control laws weighted the legislative process to benefit those who supported her positions and restricted those who opposed them. Even the most fundamental rules of a democracy were trashed. Speakers in public hearings were restricted to two minutes on all bills that day, supporters of gun control were bused in, while parking for the public was non-existent. A secret meeting, with only Democrats in attendance, was held with Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, ATF. Committee amendments and deals were made behind closed doors and with only one side in attendance. Ironically, even the basics of a democratic process were not followed. So much for threats to democracy!
In the last newsletter, I highlighted how the Speaker of the House (Rachael Talbot Ross D-Portland) manipulated and arm-twisted votes to pass gun control and I also, in the past exposed how Senate President, Troy Jackson D-Allagash allowed an obscure “Pairing of Votes” by four Democrat Senators, to allow passage of the new 72-hour waiting period requirement when purchasing a firearm.
That leads to the next dramatic change in Maine politics. Every Democrat and one Independent in leadership positions, state and national, changed their positions or now maintain a public record supporting gun control.
Senate President Troy Jackson, once endorsed by the NRA and the SAM-ILA announced his support for and voted for gun control. Congressmen Jared Golden and Senator Angus King in dramatic fashion, changed their positions on either banning or registering certain semi-automatic firearms. Rep. Chellie Pingree, 1st District Congresswoman and Speaker of the House, Rachel Talbot Ross were already a lost cause. The irony of this seismic shift by the Democrats in high places, is none of their gun control laws would have prevented another tragedy in the future. The only thing accomplished is that these leaders are now positioned to receive money and endorsements from the gun control lobby in future elections.
Do not despair if you are a law-abiding firearm owner. We have the courts, the citizen referendum and People’s veto. More importantly, we have elections. This publication is meant to educate you on the issues most important to gun owners and those who care about Maine’s natural resources and more importantly, liberty. We do not tell you how to vote, instead we tell you the truth. Unlike many groups and politicians in fear of political retaliation when calling out our elected officials, we have the courage to tell the truth. We don’t pick sides; we just tell the truth. If an elected official votes our way, we say so and thank them accordingly. Political affiliation is not a consideration. What just happened with Democrats is not our spin or interpretation, it is just the facts. The tragedy in Lewiston reset our political system and unfortunately, it made worse the urban vs. rural divide in Maine. This is divisive, not just on firearm issues, but urban legislators tend not to support trapping, hunting, fishing and access for traditional outdoor uses.
The reality is, every Republican, mostly representing rural areas voted last session against gun control and nearly every urban Democrat voted for it. Sadly, Maine is going the way of the US Congress. The Blue Dog Democrat is going extinct, and the national gun control lobby are buying the laws they want. The truth is in front of you.
I leave you with this final thought as you read this SAM-ILA election guide. SAM was founded by visionary outdoor leaders 49 years ago. We play fair and we seek to always lead with temperance, integrity and respect. This is our founding mission; we will not shy away from our role and we also understand that leading can sometimes be a lonely place.