BRUNSWICK

Reverberations from the Parkland, Florida, mass school shooting continue to be felt around the nation including in Maine.

The perpetrator of the Feb. 14 attack used an AR-15, leading student survivors — and many others — to call for a ban on assault-style rifles, while others, including gun advocates, want greater security and armed teachers.

The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, which is an advocate for hunters and gun owners, has approached the issue by working toward increased funding for schools.

The group helped develop a bill, proposed by Rep. Patrick Corey, R-Windham, that calls for a $20 million bond for the state to identify schools in need of security upgrades. On Tuesday, the Legislative Council voted unanimously to allow debate on the bill.

SAM Director David Trahan said while his organization advocates for the state’s outdoor community, he will weigh in on other issues when the need arises.

“Our intention with this bill was to try to pass some legislation that will keep our schools safe,” said Trahan.

“Schools on a razor’s edge budget could invest in security.”

Trahan also spoke to possible criticism that the bill would deflect from the gun debate.

“I think it speaks to the hostile nature of politics,” he said. “We have a track record of advocacy for security.”

The organization, Trahan said, has endorsed past legislation that would have offered a tax credit on the purchase of gun safes, which would have significantly cut the cost.

For the current school safety bill, he gave examples of upgrades in schools that the funds could be used for: More bulletproof glass, increased locks on doors and security cameras.

After mass shootings such as what happened in Parkland, questions arise about the need for civilians to be owning and using assault-style rifles, such as the AR-15. Trahan believes it would be difficult to craft legislation to deal with those type of guns, as that technology is used in many hunting models.

“They’ve been around for a long time,” he said. “It really makes no sense, because you’re regulating the appearance of a gun. I don’t know if you can regulate one because it looks scary.”

Trahan said Congress would have to weigh in on accessories, such as bump stocks. As a gun accessory, he said they would be difficult to track, because they don’t have serial numbers. Trahan noted President Donald Trump has expressed support for bump stock legislation, and it didn’t make sense to weigh in on the issue at the state level.

One area he would like to see improved is firearms education and training. Trahan said a recent poll of his membership showed they were unaware of laws restricting sales to nonresidents. He would also like to see resources for background checks promoted more vigorously, saying the state has a tremendous amount of resources available.

“The hyper-partisan atmosphere is not allowing things to move forward,” he said. “We don’t educate the public about what laws we have.”

chris@timesrecord.com

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