Prohibition of Assault-Style Weapons, Rapid-Fire Devices and High-Capacity Magazines
Solution Needed
An assault weapon was used to kill 18 individuals in Lewiston on October 25, 2023. Maine permits the purchase of these types of weapons. Between 2015 and 2022, mass shootings (four or more people killed) where assault weapons were used resulted in nearly six times as many people shot, more than twice as many people killed, and 23 times as many people wounded per incident on average. Bump stocks are used to convert a semi-automatic rifle to a rapid-fire weapon, with a machine gun like capability. They were used in the Las Vegas shooting in 2017. There is no legitimate reason for civilians to have these weapons and conversion devices that can be used for mass destruction.
AR-15’s are destructive. The Washington Post has done two articles detailing just how much impact they have when fired. The first consists of visual images of the aftermath of mass shootings and the second describes the blast impact on a human body. Please note these images are very disturbing and the first shows blood and significant damage.
Explanation of the issue
Assault weapons are typically semiautomatic versions of weapons initially created for deadly military purposes. They are designed and equipped with features that enable, specifically, sustained, high-volume rapid fire shooting at large numbers of people in a short period of time. They are the weapons of choice for a mass shooting because they cause more severe and lethal wounds and because they can injure and kill more people more quickly, especially when equipped with high capacity magazines. Even Maine hunting laws do not allow use of weapons with this lethal capacity.
As an example, AR-15’s are destructive. The Washington Post has done two articles detailing just how much impact they have when fired. The first consists of visual images of the aftermath of mass shootings and the second describes the blast impact on a human body. Please note these images are very disturbing and the first shows blood and significant damage.
Consequences of the current law
An assault weapon was used in Lewiston on October 25th to kill 18 people. Congress permitted a federal assault weapons ban to expire leaving it up to the states to enact legislation that would prohibit their purchase. Assault weapons bans have passed in 10 states and the District of Columbia. High-capacity magazine bans have passed in 14 states from Maryland and Delaware up the coast, except in New Hampshire. In 2024 the Legislature passed LD 2086 that would have banned bump stocks and other rapid-fire conversion devices but the bill was vetoed by Governor Mills. The US Supreme Court is considering whether a federal regulation banning bump stocks is legal and a decision is expected soon. Maine needs to have its own law prohibiting these lethal firearms and devices.