When a legislative measure has a nickname with the word “killer” in it, that’s usually not a good sign.
Such is the case with L.D. 1821 currently under consideration in the Maine legislature. The measure, called the “FFL Killer” bill by the National Rifle Association, is eligible for a vote on the House floor, despite receive an “ought not pass” vote in committee last month.
According to a legislative update from NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), the measure purports to ensure responsible business practices by licensed firearms dealers, but does little more than impose costly burdens on already highly regulated businesses.
As NRA-ILA pointed out, the ATF already monitors and inspects FFLs across the country, and while law enforcement agencies can already submit TRACE requests in investigating a crime involving a specific firearm, L.D. 1821 would open the door to baseless inspections of FFL transaction records, raising serious concerns around privacy and due process.
In fact, as NRA-ILA wrote, this bill, in effect, creates a de facto registry of all firearms purchased and sold in Maine.
“Despite the fact that some amendments were introduced in the work session to address at least some of those concerns, a bipartisan majority of the committee voted that the bill should not pass,” NRA-ILA wrote. “L.D. 1821 would require a significant investment in manpower by the Maine State Police to implement the legislation. In addition to creating an unnecessary and redundant regulatory scheme that threatens to put already highly regulated dealers out of business, L.D. 1821 would create a significant financial burden on taxpayers in Maine and waste Maine State Police resources.”
Among other things, the bill requires firearms retailers to have an alarm system certified by a federal or state agency, a not-for-profit organization, or another entity specializing in security alarm standards, site hardening, including locks on doors and windows, and video surveillance, including video recording devices at each point of sale and each entrance and exit to the premises. The rules must require that any video surveillance system allow recordings from both indoor and outdoor vantage points and that such recordings be maintained for a period of at least 2 years.
To top it off, the anti-gun lawmakers sponsoring the bill even added an all-encompassing requirement that could turn out to be whatever anti-gun bureaucrats want it to be. That requirement states: “Other reasonable and effective security measures designed to reduce the risk of theft at a dealer’s business establishment.”
The measure would also require state police to develop specialized firearms training for employees, which would include teaching them “how to educate customers on gun safety practices, including but not limited to the safe handling and storage of firearms and ammunition.”
Of course, the law would impose penalties on FFLs that do not meet the restrictive standard.
“A dealer who violates any provisions in this chapter commits a civil violation for which a fine of no less than $100 and no more than $500 may be adjudged,” the bill states. “A dealer who violates any provision of this chapter after having been adjudicated as having committed one or more civil violations or for engaging in substantially similar conduct to that contained in this subsection in another jurisdiction within the previous 5‑year period commits a civil violation for which a fine of no less than $500 and no more than $1,000 may be adjudged.”
