In Maine, someone who wants to carry a concealed weapon has to prove, either to local authorities or to state police, that they’re at least 18, are of “good moral character,” have undergone firearm safety training and can legally own a gun.

These requirements may have an uncertain future, though, given the apparent momentum behind a bill that would allow Mainers to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

Additional Images

For the third time in as many years, gun rights supporters are trying to pass a law making it legal in Maine to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. koi88/Shutterstock.com

L.D. 652 would be worth considering if Maine already had far-reaching statutes in place to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them. But no such regulations are in effect here, making it unwise to pass a proposal that would take away even the low-level protections that Maine does have.

Introduced by Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, L.D. 652 would apply to anyone who’s not prohibited from owning a weapon on account of a criminal record or history of mental illness. But Maine hasn’t implemented safeguards that would prevent the wrong people from purchasing guns.

Only licensed dealers in firearms have to check to see whether the buyer is barred from owning a weapon – meaning that an estimated 40 percent of gun sales happen without a background check.

Moreover, the so-called “constitutional carry” bill would eliminate the permitting process. So how would the state stop someone from carrying a concealed weapon if that person were a felon, or if they’d been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility? These people apparently would be on the honor system.

L.D. 652 is the third attempt in as many years to pass a permitless concealed-carry law in Maine, and it has widespread support. Nearly 100 legislators have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill – a reflection, the measure’s advocates say, of how fundamentally Americans value the constitutional right to bear arms.

But as the measure moves through the Legislature, we hope that lawmakers also consider what law enforcement officials have to say. One major voice, the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, has already come out against scuttling the permitting process.

We agree, and see no reason for the state to abandon oversight of who can walk around in public with a concealed gun – unless policymakers are ready to plug the pipeline that channels those weapons to those who would misuse them.