PORTLAND – A City Council committee might be ready to modify its call for a statewide ban on guns in public buildings.

The council’s Public Safety Committee will discuss the issue on Oct. 12. The panel’s chair said he would be willing to exempt people with concealed-weapons permits from a ban on firearms in public buildings.

Councilor Dan Skolnik, who proposed the resolution, originally wanted the state to ban all firearms from public buildings where mass gatherings are held. He said Friday that an exemption for people with concealed-weapons permits represents “common ground.”

State law doesn’t allow municipalities to regulate firearms or ammunition. The state bans firearms from schools, courthouses, jails and bars whose owners post notice. Guns are also banned from state-controlled facilities in Augusta.

Skolnik noted that anyone who gets a concealed-weapons permit must give police a reason why they need to carry a firearm and must take a gun safety training course before receiving the permit.

Anyone who carries a gun openly, such as in a visible holster, is not required to get training or a permit.

“A holder of a (concealed-weapons permit) has been trained and vetted and is not someone who presents a threat simply by carrying his or her weapon,” Skolnik said in an e-mail Friday. “The more holders of a CWP who are responsible gun owners, the fewer people this law would need to apply to, because the fewer we need to be concerned with in such a situation.”

Skolnik introduced the measure at a committee meeting last month, drawing about a dozen men carrying guns to City Hall to express their opposition to any change in state law. The National Rifle Association had encouraged the turnout, saying the measure would represent an “outright attack” on gun owners’ rights.

Those who favor restrictions on guns in public buildings said guns are an intimidating presence at public meetings and could present a public safety hazard at other events.

Portland Police Chief James Craig said he supports a ban on guns in public buildings, particularly where large gatherings such as concerts or sporting events are held. There are usually police at those events, he said, negating arguments that people need guns to protect themselves.

“There’s no need to have an open carry in a venue like that,” Craig said. “It serves no purpose.”

Craig said he thinks a state law banning guns from the Blaine House — the official governor’s residence in Augusta — should also allow guns to be banned from Portland City Hall.

Paul Mattson, who provides certified gun training for people seeking concealed-weapons permits, said the apparent decision to carve out an exemption for permit holders is a victory for gun rights’ advocates, although he would prefer no ban on firearms in public buildings.

“I’d actually feel more comfortable (in a large group) knowing that a lot of people have concealed-weapons permits,” he said.

 

Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at: emurphy@pressherald.com

 

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