PORTLAND, Maine — Following a last-minute order from the state, gun dealers in Maine on Friday required a three-day waiting period to purchase guns under one of the new safety laws passed after the state’s deadliest mass killing.
Maine joined a dozen other states with similar laws, requiring buyers to wait 72 hours to complete a purchase and pick up a gun. The law is one of several gun-related bills passed after an Army reservist killed 18 people and injured 13 others in Lewiston on Oct. 25, 2023.
While the new law would not have prevented the tragedy because the shooter had purchased the gun legally months earlier, Friday’s milestone was still celebrated by gun safety advocates who believe the law will prevent gun deaths by giving people who intend to harm others or themselves by purchasing a gun a cooling-off period.
“These new laws will certainly save lives, both here in Maine and across the country,” said Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition.
Gun shop owners complained about the policy, which was only released Tuesday, and the loss of revenue from out-of-state visitors during Maine’s busy summer season. They also said the wait time will negatively impact gun shows.
In Kittery, Dave Labbe of the Kittery Trading Post said his main store will have virtually no gun sales starting Friday because customers subject to the wait will have to return to pick up their firearms. He fears customers will not buy guns because they have to make an extra trip to the store because of the wait.
“You can imagine how I feel,” he said.
Unlike other Maine dealers, Kittery Trading Post allows out-of-state buyers of rifles and shotguns to bring those sales to the New Hampshire location and complete them the same day. But that increases the cost of doing business and is inconvenient for customers. In some cases, customers may prefer to ship the gun to a dealer in their home state, Labbe said.
On Friday, customers flocked to the store to buy clothing and outdoor gear on a rainy day, but the gun department seemed less busy than usual. A sign on the ceiling alerted customers to the new law.
Some retailers claimed the guidance was late and vague.
“It’s as clear as mud,” said Laura Whitcomb of Gun Owners of Maine, noting that there are gray areas in the legal definition of the “agreement” that must be reached for the waiting period to begin.
Critics of the law have said they plan to sue. They claim it only hurts law-abiding citizens while not preventing criminals from obtaining guns illegally. They also claim that people who want to harm themselves will find another way if they are unable to purchase a gun immediately. Violation of the law is a civil infraction punishable by a fine of $200 to $500 for the first offense and $500 to $1,000 for subsequent offenses.
The waiting period law went into effect without the signature of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. It was one of several bills passed after the mass killings at a bowling alley and a bar and grill in Lewiston.
In her State of the Union address, Mills told MPs that doing nothing after the tragedy was not an option.
The legislation strengthened the state’s so-called “yellow flag” law, which allows guns to be obtained by people in psychiatric crisis, criminalized the transfer of guns to people with prohibited access and required background checks for people offering a gun for sale on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or elsewhere.
Maine has a long hunting tradition and the bills faced opposition from Republicans who accused Democrats, who control both houses of the legislature, of using the tragedy to push through bills, some of which had previously been rejected.
Customers shop in the gun section of the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine, on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. Gun dealers in Maine now require a three-day waiting period for purchases under a new law that is among several gun safety bills passed after the state’s deadliest mass killing. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
FILE – The Statehouse in Augusta, Maine, Feb. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Joel Page, File)
A customer aims a long gun while shopping at the Kittery Trading Post, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Kittery, Maine. Gun dealers in Maine now require a three-day waiting period for purchases under a new law that is among several gun safety bills passed after the state’s deadliest mass killing. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
FILE – Rain-soaked memorial plaques for victims of a mass shooting stand along the roadside at Schemengee’s Bar & Grille, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
A selection of handguns is displayed at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. Gun dealers in Maine now require a three-day waiting period for purchases under a new law that is among several gun safety laws passed after the state’s deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Aaron Fondry, left, gets a 9mm pistol from Bryan Hodge, assistant manager of firearms, while shopping at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. Gun dealers in Maine now require a three-day waiting period for purchases under a new law that is among several gun safety bills passed after the state’s deadliest mass killing. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A selection of Sig Sauer pistols are displayed at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. Gun dealers in Maine now require a three-day waiting period for purchases under a new law that is among several gun safety laws passed after the state’s deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)