State Rep. Patrick Corey, in his Sept. 23 op-ed, takes issue with the wording of Question 3: a citizen initiative requiring background checks for the transfer of firearms. Corey anticipates that if Question 3 passes, the innocent transfer of firearms between family or friends would then be a criminal offense.
Corey’s piece is, in fact, an indictment of his own inaction on this issue. If the Legislature and, in particular, those who would object to the passage of Question 3 had acted on the issue of unregulated personal or gun show sales by drawing up legislation with language that closed the loophole without criminalizing friends swapping guns in deer camp, they would not be confronted with the prospect of bad legislation.
This is not about gun control. This is about citizens who are tired of waiting for the Legislature to act and are doing it themselves, as is their right.
That it is not a perfect piece of legislation is no surprise. This is not the result of the debate and compromise that used to be a part of lawmaking in Maine. But people are tired of foot-dragging in Augusta.
So, quit your whining and do your job, or the people of Maine will do it for you.
Kurt Woltersdorf
Sanford
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