SOUTH PORTLAND — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Gov. LePage has made addressing domestic violence a cornerstone of his time in office. During a very shaky six years, his efforts to protect women from domestic abusers has arguably been his most laudable initiative.

That’s why his comments during his Oct. 1 weekly radio address were so disappointing. By joining the gun lobby in opposition to Question 3 on November’s ballot, LePage is turning his back on domestic violence victims across the state.

The governor’s position on background checks is really puzzling. There’s video of him telling a debate audience during his campaign for re-election in 2014 that he would support universal background checks as long as they went to voters for approval. Now he’s opposing them across the board, making the false claim that background checks – even for convicted felons and domestic abusers – violate the Maine and U.S. constitutions.

Not only is he factually wrong, he’s also morally wrong-headed.

The Maine Constitution provides a robust framework for protecting the rights of Mainers to bear arms. It does not, however, say that criminals and domestic abusers should have unfettered access to guns. Maine law already prohibits the possession of guns by these dangerous people, and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that background checks are entirely consistent with the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

LePage is just plain wrong about the facts.

What’s more disturbing to me, though, is how philosophically wrong the governor is. Just recently, LePage proposed requiring ankle bracelet monitoring for those accused of domestic violence. His heart is in the right place on this. He wants to do everything he can to protect the victims. But without Question 3, those same domestic abusers will be able to purchase guns on the unlicensed market, no questions asked.

And there’s no shortage of guns available that fall through the loophole in current law. A recent study shows there are nearly 3,000 guns offered for sale every year by unlicensed sellers.

LePage’s worldview is one of well-armed but ankle-braceleted domestic abusers. It’s a horrifying contradiction.

The governor is an outspoken advocate for gun rights, but that doesn’t mean he has to be a lackey for the D.C. gun lobby. He seems to be forgoing his genuine concern for abused women in favor of the irrational position of the same D.C. gun lobbyists who opposed Sen. Susan Collins’ bipartisan effort to keep suspected terrorists from buying guns. It’s utterly disheartening.

We have to face the facts, and two things are clear.

• First, background checks work. How do we know? In states that have adopted laws similar to Question 3, the rate of women murdered by their domestic partners with a handgun has been cut nearly in half.

• Second, the shocking fact is that half of all murders in our state are of women killed by their intimate partners.

Since Colorado passed a similar law in 2013, over 1,000 prohibited persons – including domestic abusers – have been prevented from getting a gun in the unlicensed market. Background checks for all gun sales will help protect women’s lives.

Many believe that Maine already has background check laws in place. This is only partially true. If a convicted felon, domestic abuser or someone who is severely mentally ill goes into a gun store to try and buy a firearm, they will fail a background check and be prohibited from buying that gun.

But right now, that same dangerous person can walk out the door and buy a gun from someone they meet online or through a classified ad with no background check. This is a fatal loophole. This newspaper’s editorial board recently compared this to a bar that refuses to sell alcohol to minors, but then lets them freely drink by entering through the back door. It just doesn’t make sense.

Question 3 closes this deadly loophole by requiring background checks for all gun sales. Put plainly, there would be no more “easy access” to guns for domestic abusers.

So in light of all of this, when LePage says he opposes Question 3, it feels like he’s throwing away years of good work, and abandoning abuse victims all over Maine who have come to respect his work on their behalf.

If someone is so dangerous that the governor wants them to wear an ankle bracelet, then they’re too dangerous to have a gun.

I hope the governor will take a long, hard look at his position and side with women all over Maine who have come to believe in him as a sincere advocate by supporting “Yes on Question 3.”