(DCWatchdog.com) – In a highly significant Second Amendment rights case, gun rights organizations are taking Maine to court over a new 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases.
These groups argue the law is unconstitutional and unfairly delays law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
As the debate over gun control intensifies, this lawsuit challenges an initiative rooted in reactionary politics rather than effectiveness.
A coalition of gun advocacy groups, including the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, Gun Owners of Maine, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, have filed a lawsuit against Maine’s new law.
The controversial 72-hour waiting period aims to enforce a delay between purchasing a gun and taking it home.
These groups argue the law is unconstitutional, citing the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on gun restrictions.
According to them, this addition contradicts the Second Amendment’s original meaning, labeling it a modern regulatory overreach.
The coalition seeks to pause the law’s enforcement, contending that the delay is unnecessary given the efficiency of background checks, which can typically be completed in minutes.
A key point made by the plaintiffs is that the waiting period could impose critical delays for individuals in urgent need of self-defense, like domestic violence victims or hunters traveling to the state.
The law was enacted as part of several gun control measures following a tragic mass shooting in Maine on October 25, 2023.
Despite the law’s intention to serve as a “cooling-off period” aimed at preventing impulsive harm, critics argue that it assumes potential buyers have malicious intentions.
Attorney General Aaron Frey, a defendant in the lawsuit, supports the measure, arguing that waiting periods are reasonable and do not infringe on Second Amendment rights.
“Nothing in our nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation supports that kind of ‘cooling-off period’ measure, which is a 20th century regulatory innovation that is flatly inconsistent with the Second Amendment’s original meaning,” declared the plaintiffs’ attorneys, cited by Newsweek.
Democrat Governor Janet Mills allowed the law to take effect without her endorsement, indicating a degree of political maneuvering even within her party.
In defense of the waiting period, proponents argue that it could reduce impulsive acts of violence and save lives.
However, this suggestion dismisses the stark reality that criminals do not obey gun laws, and such measures primarily hinder responsible gun owners.
The plaintiffs’ push for the courts to rule against this law highlights the ongoing battle over gun rights in America.
Critics like the National Shooting Sports Foundation emphasize that the law fails to address the issue of criminal activity.
Instead, it restricts constitutional rights, leaving law-abiding citizens like hunters and domestic violence victims at risk.
Gun rights groups filed a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the 72-hour waiting period law that Maine lawmakers passed after last year's mass shooting in Lewiston. https://t.co/yxzpAhKOz3
— CBS 13 News (@WGME) November 13, 2024
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