Maine’s new gun laws could look very different under next governor
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Maine’s recently passed gun safety laws, including a red flag referendum and a 72-hour waiting period, face differing levels of support from gubernatorial candidates Pingree, Bennett, and Charles.
Pingree supports both laws and prioritizes building a coalition within the Maine Legislature to ensure successful implementation, while Charles, endorsed by the NRA, opposes the safety measures and vows to reexamine existing gun laws if elected governor.
Bennett, with a history of pro-gun votes, received perfect ratings from the NRA and the Sportsman’s Alliance, but has committed to implementing the red flag law and waiting period if elected, despite voting against gun control measures in the past.
The implementation of Maine’s recently passed gun safety laws — a red flag referendum voters overwhelmingly approved and a 72-hour waiting period facing a legal challenge — would greatly differ depending on who the next governor is.
Democrat Hannah Pingree said she supports both laws, and detailed how she would implement the red flag law that the current governor, Janet Mills, opposed. Independent Rick Bennett said he would enforce both laws if the waiting period survives its legal challenge while Republican Bobby Charles said he opposes both measures.
Both the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, groups that are typically on opposing sides of most gun-related legislation, singled Pingree out as being the outlier on an issue that has become increasingly relevant for Maine since the 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston.
“One of these candidates is not like the others,” Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which endorsed Pingree in the gubernatorial race. “Only one of these candidates is actually aligned with where the Maine people have shown themselves to be, and the other two are not.”
Meanwhile, the Sportsman’s Alliance, which is involved in the legal challenge to the waiting period, gave the former Maine House of Representatives speaker an F-rating because she did not respond to the group’s questionnaire and “she’s made it very clear that she embraces her endorsement from the gun control community,” Executive Director David Trahan said.
“For us, that’s an easy choice,” he added. “You don’t want to participate, and you want to support all these gun control bills, then you’re going to get a bad grade from us.”
Both Bennett and Charles received a perfect score from the group. “We can work with both of them,” Trahan said, “because they’re already either pro-Second Amendment or pro conservation.”
All three candidates are likely to take a different stance on guns compared with Mills, who, despite being a Democrat, publicly opposed the red flag law (though after its passage last November, she did secure funding for implementation). Trahan said when Mills was considering gun-related legislation, she would ask the group their perspective.
“(Pingree) is basically saying I don’t want to talk to you,” he said.”For us, access to give our opinion and participate is very, very important and pretty much we feel like the door was slammed in our face.”
Pingree’s campaign acknowledged that “there will be a different policy approach” compared with Mills. Though spokesperson Mary-Erin Casale added, “I think it’s a little preemptive to say anyone will be shut out before she’s elected.”
Maine Morning Star asked each candidate where they stand on gun safety measures and how they would approach these laws if elected governor.
Pingree: Stricter gun control policy
Pingree said she supports Maine’s recently passed red flag referendum, which allows family members to directly petition the courts to temporarily take weapons away from a person believed to be a danger to themselves or others. In written responses, she noted that other systems that the law relies on need to be bolstered for it to be successful.
“That means real coordination between our courts, law enforcement, and mental health providers,” she said. “And it means the state showing up with the resources and leadership to make implementation succeed, not just the law on the books.”
She also supports the 72-hour waiting period. The Democratic-led Maine Legislature has rejected attempts to roll back that law while the legal challenge is underway. Pingree said waiting periods play a role in helping prevent impulsive acts of gun violence, including homicides and suicides.
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In 2024, 283 Mainers died by suicide according to a 2026 health department report presented to the Maine Legislature. Of those, 55% used a firearm.
If elected, Pingree said she would prioritize building a coalition within the Maine Legislature to ensure gun safety laws can be passed and implemented, address the state’s high domestic violence homicide rate and pursue policies that can bring that rate down. She also said she would also work to fix the judicial and mental health systems that gun control laws often rely on.
“Any gun safety law is only as strong as the systems responsible for carrying it out, so funding and improving those systems has to be part of the work,” she said.
Bobby Charles: Endorsed by the NRA
Charles was endorsed by the political arm of the National Rifle Association, receiving a perfect grade for “his commitment to support the Second Amendment rights of Mainers,” according to a press release from his campaign.
“I will fight every attempt to disarm law-abiding Mainers, oppose unconstitutional red-flag schemes that violate due process, and stand with hunters, sportsmen, and families who use firearms to put food on the table and protect their homes,” he said in the statement.
Charles told Maine Morning Star he opposed the recently passed safety measures, namely the red flag law and the 72-hour waiting period.
“Many women have come forward saying that a 72-hour waiting period is especially egregious for them, and they need to be respected,” he added, citing an argument some domestic violence survivor groups have made against the waiting period.
However, research has shown that the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the chances that a death will occur, no matter who owns the firearm.
Charles said as governor, he would reexamine existing gun safety laws to better align with law enforcement priorities.
“It has been made clear by law enforcement and others across Maine that there are laws and regulations that make Mainers less safe,” he said. “We will take a hard look, top to bottom at each law on the books and determine which laws make Mainers less safe and which laws make sense to keep in place.”
He has also specifically called out Pingree’s stance on the issue, which he said is anti-Second Amendment. Her “extreme views are clearly the standout when it comes to Mainers outdoor traditions and firearms,” he said.
Palmer from the gun safety coalition said Charles’ positions on this issue are “not just outdated, they’re dangerous, and they’re drastically out of touch with Mainers.”
“Bobby is already threatening to try to roll back what gun safety laws we have in Maine, which would literally put lives at risk,” she added.
Rick Bennett: History of pro-gun votes
While Bennett has generally taken a more moderate stance on most issues, his record on firearms earned him a perfect rating from both the NRA and the Sportsman’s Alliance, who both pointed to his legislative record of voting against gun control bills and with the gun lobby.
“I’m proud to receive such a rating consistently across my service from such a respected Maine organization,” Bennett said about the alliance’s scorecard.
During the most recent legislative session, Bennett voted against all of the gun control measures Palmer’s coalition supported, including bills on safe storage, bump stock bans (which would have restricted the sale of devices that convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic weapons) and high capacity magazine bans for weapons that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
However, Bennett also said he would implement the red flag law and the 72-hour waiting period if elected.
“Fixing the law is different than supporting the law,” Trahan said. “If you’re the governor, you have no choice but to honor what the public has passed, so I understand where Bennett is coming from.”
However, Palmer said Bennett’s responses were indicative of the fact that he’s running for office shortly after Mainers approved gun safety legislation through a ballot referendum.
“He’s trying to align himself in spoken word with where the people of Maine are, but what’s more important to me than his words are his actions,” she said. “He has voted against every gun safety bill that we have had for his entire time in office.”
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