Without mandatory checks on private sales from ads and at gun shows, the problem will only get worse.
CUMBERLAND — In light of the recent “open carry rally” in Portland (where firearms were openly displayed), it might be of interest to review the gun situation in Maine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandra Scully of Cumberland Foreside is vice president of Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence ([email protected]).
Maine has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the country and a higher rate of death from firearms than Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire and six other states.
About 13 children and 100 adults die in Maine each year from firearms. The most recent data from the Maine Center for Disease Control show that the suicide rate for people ages 20 to 24 is 30 percent above the national average, and firearms account for more than 50 percent of these deaths.
It is legal for a 16-year-old (with parental permission) to buy a rifle and an 18-year-old, a handgun. Drinking is legal at 21 and a driver’s license at 16.
Maine is the No. 1 supplier of guns used in crimes in Massachusetts.
READ MORE
CUMBERLAND — In light of the recent “open carry rally” in Portland (where firearms were openly displayed), it might be of interest to review the gun situation in Maine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandra Scully of Cumberland Foreside is vice president of Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence ([email protected]).
Maine has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the country and a higher rate of death from firearms than Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire and six other states.
About 13 children and 100 adults die in Maine each year from firearms. The most recent data from the Maine Center for Disease Control show that the suicide rate for people ages 20 to 24 is 30 percent above the national average, and firearms account for more than 50 percent of these deaths.
It is legal for a 16-year-old (with parental permission) to buy a rifle and an 18-year-old, a handgun. Drinking is legal at 21 and a driver’s license at 16.
Maine is the No. 1 supplier of guns used in crimes in Massachusetts.
READ MORE