Maine

National gun control group upgrades Maine’s rating after response to mass shooting

Published

12 months ago

December 17, 2024

National gun control group upgrades Maine’s rating after response to mass shooting

A national gun control advocacy group upgraded Maine in its annual scorecard Tuesday after crediting lawmakers with passing various measures following the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston.

The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence gave Maine a C+ in the 2024 version of its Annual Gun Law Scorecard that ranks every state and also looks at gun death rates. That came after Giffords, the nonprofit led by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Arizona, who survived getting shot in the head during a 2011 assassination attempt, gave Maine an F in 2022 and a D- last year, reflecting what had been lax gun laws in a rural state with a strong hunting culture.

But things changed dramatically after a 40-year-old Army reservist from Bowdoin used a semi-automatic rifle to kill 18 people and injure 13 others at a Lewiston bowling alley and bar on Oct. 25, 2023, the state’s deadliest-ever shooting and the country’s worst that year. The Democratic-controlled Legislature responded by expanding background checks, investing in violence prevention and mental health initiatives and requiring 72-hour waiting periods.

Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who opposed past gun control efforts, vetoed a bump stock ban and let the bill requiring 72-hour waiting periods for gun purchases become law without her signature. The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and Gun Owners of Maine filed a lawsuit in November that seeks to strike down the waiting period law.

Giffords cited the waiting period law, expanded background checks and a $1 million investment in community violence prevention programs in upgrading Maine to a C+ this year. Lindsay Nichols, the organization’s policy director, said Maine “stood out” nationally for passing various laws and for jumping up more than one grade.

“Maine’s jump is significant,” Nichols said.

The Giffords scorecard said Maine ranks 21st nationally for its “gun law strength” and 27th for having a gun death rate of 14.1 fatalities per 100,000 people. It called on legislators to ban bump stocks, ban ghost guns, repeal Maine’s permitless carry law and pass “gun industry accountability legislation” that could allow lawsuits against firearm manufacturers.

Opponents of gun control said they were not surprised with the higher grade. Gun Owners of Maine Vice President Joshua Raines said that since Giffords ranks states highly if they “restrict law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights, we look forward to them needing to downgrade our ranking as soon as possible.”

While Democrats saw their State House majorities narrow after Republicans picked up several seats last month, more gun control proposals could come before Maine voters in the next year. After the Legislature did not take up a late effort in the spring to pass a “red flag” law, advocates launched a campaign to put a red flag or “extreme risk protection order” measure before Maine voters via a referendum.

Red flag laws, which 21 states have adopted, allow both family members and police to ask judges to confiscate weapons from people deemed dangerous, while the existing “yellow flag” law does not allow family members to directly petition a court.

Mills worked with gun-rights advocates to craft the 2019 yellow flag law and has not thrown her support behind a red flag law. A commission she formed to review the Lewiston mass shooting found the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office had probable cause to use Maine’s yellow flag on Robert Card II about a month before the shooting after family and peers repeatedly shared concerns about his mental state, threats to “shoot up” places and access to guns.

Police instead conducted welfare checks at Card’s Bowdoin residence in September 2023 and left when he did not answer the door.

Mills proposed and signed into law earlier this year tweaks to the yellow flag law meant to make it easier for police to take a person into protective custody before the person receives a mental health evaluation and a court hearing. Mills also signed off on extending background checks to advertised gun sales and investing in mental health initiatives added to the state budget.

Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, said supporters need to collect about 7,500 more signatures to reach their goal of 75,000 signatures before submitting the petition to the secretary of state. It could appear on the ballot either in November 2025 or November 2026, Palmer said Tuesday.

“This rating reflects the progress we have made so far in Maine by coming together to pass common-sense gun safety laws to save lives,” Palmer said. “But it also demonstrates how much work we have left to do.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect number of fatalities per 100,00 people in Maine.

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Maine

Maine Jewish community mourning, on edge after attack in Australia

Published

10 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Maine Jewish community mourning, on edge after attack in Australia

PORTLAND (WGME) — The Maine Jewish community says the attack in Australia has left them mourning and on edge.

It comes amid an increase in antisemitic rhetoric, online and in our communities.

Members of Maine’s Jewish community say they have no choice but to take these increased threats seriously, especially in wake of the tragedy in Australia.

They are now increasing security, like during the menorah lighting for the first night of Hanukkah outside Portland City Hall Sunday.

The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine says they’ve been coordinating with local law enforcement across the state since Sunday about heightened threat levels.

They say the attack in Australia is just the culmination of an increase in antisemitic actions that have been seen across the world in recent years, which Maine has not been isolated from.

“There were about, almost 16 antisemitic incidents, documented antisemitic incidents in 2024,” Jewish Community Relations Council Director Zach Schwartz said. “That represents the same increase that Sydney saw, which is a three-fold increase, so yeah, we could say by the numbers, that there is multiple orders of increased antisemitism in the state.”

The alliance says the story of Hanukkah is also more relevant than ever amid these attacks.

They say amid dark days, the Jewish community still finds ways to come together in hopes of lighting the way for a brighter future.

Governor Janet Mills issued a statement on both the shooting in Australia and at Brown University.

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“My prayers are with the victims of the tragedies in Providence and Australia, and I hope for the full recovery of all those injured. Innocent people, like those gathering for school or to celebrate their faith, should be free from fear of hateful acts such as these.”

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Maine

Eight Maine Subway locations reopen

Published

22 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

An image from Michael T. Fay’s Facebook page shows him in front of the location on Allen Avenue in Portland, one of the franchises ordered closed. (Facebook screenshot)

Eight Subway locations closed last week by state regulators have reopened.

MTF Subway franchise owner Michael T. Fay has confirmed that all of his franchise locations in Maine are open for business, following the closure of eight of them last Wednesday.

Maine Revenue Services ordered what it characterized as “several” Subway locations closed for “for noncompliance with Part 3, 36 M.R.S.A.,” which primarily governs Maine’s sales and use tax.

The agency did not elaborate and would only reiterate Monday that, “Due to confidentiality requirements, MRS cannot comment on individual tax situations.”

In an email to the Sun Journal on Monday, Fay confirmed that eight of his locations were affected by the ordered closures, after the state revoked the registration certificates for each location.

Fay stated that none of his employees were laid off by the company.

MTF Subway locations affected:

Blue Hill

Brunswick

Hampden

Lisbon Falls

Portland

Topsham

Westbrook

Wiscasset

A long-time journalist, Christopher got his start with Armed Forces Radio & Television after college. Seventeen years at CNN International brought exposure to major national and international stories…
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Maine

Maine’s first temple announced during stake Christmas fireside

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

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Maine’s first temple announced during stake Christmas fireside

As members of the Portland Maine Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered for a stake Christmas fireside Sunday evening, Dec. 14, they received an unexpected and joyful announcement from the First Presidency.

A house of the Lord will be constructed in Portland, Maine — the state’s first temple.

“We’re pleased to announce the construction of a temple in Portland, Maine. The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later,” said the First Presidency statement read by Elder Allen D. Haynie, General Authority Seventy and president of the United States Northeast Area.

“This is a reason for all of us to rejoice and thank God for such a significant blessing — one that will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants and power that can only be found in the house of the Lord,” the statement concluded.

Speaking to attendees in the Portland stake center in North Yarmouth, Elder Haynie said: “In a recent meeting of the First Presidency of the Church, a decision was made that, when directed by the First Presidency, the announcement of the construction of a new temple should be made on location by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, or a member of an area presidency.

“Such an announcement by a member of the area presidency has never occurred before,” Elder Haynie said. “Tonight will be the first time.”

On behalf of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Allen D. Haynie, General Authority Seventy and president of the United States Northeast Area, announces a new temple will be built in Portland, Maine, during a stake Christmas fireside in the Portland stake center in North Yarmouth, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. | Screenshot

The Portland Maine Temple is the first house of the Lord announced by the First Presidency since President Dallin H. Oaks was set apart as the 18th President of the Church on Oct. 14, following the death of President Russell M. Nelson. No temples were announced during October 2025 general conference.

Maine is home to more than 11,000 Latter-day Saints who comprise 27 congregations. The Portland Maine Stake was created earlier this year and is one of three stakes in the state, along with the Augusta and Bangor stakes. Church members in these stakes are currently part of the Boston Massachusetts Temple district.

The stake fireside, titled “Come Let Us Adore Him,” featured a variety of musical selections and messages about the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ. Individuals and families of all ages attended the event. Elder Haynie was accompanied by his wife, Sister Deborah Haynie.

A choir performs during the Portland Maine Stake Christmas fireside on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in North Yarmouth, Maine. | Screenshot

Temple announcement

A new temple in Maine brings the total number of the Church’s temples — operating, under construction, or announced worldwide — to 383.

This temple announcement is a deviation from a pattern established in recent years in which leaders announce temples mostly during the Church’s semiannual general conferences.

Of the 200 temples President Nelson announced during his seven years as President of the Church, only one was announced outside of a general conference session — the Ephraim Utah Temple. President Nelson announced the Ephraim temple on May 1, 2021, in a prerecorded video shown at a press conference inside the Manti Tabernacle. In this message, President Nelson also explained modified plans for the Manti Utah Temple’s renovation.

President Thomas S. Monson, who served as the 16th President of the Church from February 2008 to January 2018, announced 45 temples during his administration — 40 of which were done in a general conference session. Prior to President Monson’s tenure, however, a majority of temples were announced outside of general conference.

More about the Church in Maine

Latter-day Saint missionaries first arrived in Maine in 1832 by canoe, crossing the Piscataqua River which forms the boundary of Maine and New Hampshire. A branch was established in Saco later that year.

In August 1837, missionaries Wilford Woodruff and Jonathan Hale arrived in the Fox Islands, today known as Vinalhaven and North Haven. By that winter, the Church established branches on both islands, with about 100 members total. Church activity slowed in Maine after 1844, when most Church members moved west to escape persecution.

Missionary efforts and Church activities resumed in 1904, and local members hosted worship services and activities in their homes. In 1957, meetinghouses were dedicated in Portland and Bangor. The state’s first stake, the Maine Stake, was organized on June 23, 1968.