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5h ago

Maine Voters Approve Red Flag Gun Law in 60–40 Referendum

The vote creates a new pathway for relatives to seek temporary gun restrictions directly from a judge.

FILE — Rain soaked memorials for those who died in a mass shooting sit along the roadside by Schemengees Bar & Grille, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
A sign opposing a gun control referendum in Kennebunk, Maine, on Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Whittle)
FILE - A make-shift memorial lines Main Street following a deadly mass shooting in Maine, Nov. 3, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
A sign promoting a gun control referendum in Scarborough, Maine, on Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Whittle)

Overview

  • Decision Desk HQ and the Bangor Daily News called Question 2 for yes at 9:48 p.m., with 60.1% to 39.9%.
  • The statute lets family members petition courts without police taking the person into custody or arranging a mental health evaluation under the existing yellow flag process.
  • Gov. Janet Mills and police groups opposed the measure, warning it could confuse procedures and make officers’ jobs more dangerous.
  • Supporters linked the change to failures revealed after the 2023 Lewiston massacre, as a state commission found multiple missed chances to intervene.
  • Legal challenges are possible even as more than 20 states have similar laws and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a comparable statute last year, and lawsuits against the Army and Department of Defense over Lewiston continue.