The state of Maine has passed a proposed Red Flag Law that will allow family and household members to petition a court to have someone’s weapons removed when they are a danger to themselves or others.
Voters passed the law, according to initial polling results, approximately two years after the deadliest mass shooting in state history in Lewiston.
On October 25, 2023, a gunman opened fire on a bowling alley and a restaurant, killing 18 people and physically wounding several others.
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A months long Scripps News investigation last year revealed the shooter showed multiple warning signs ahead of the 2023 attack that were repeatedly reported to police, but Maine law enforcement officers did not attempt to remove his firearms using the state’s Yellow Flag Law which had been in effect since 2020.
The Yellow Flag Law would have allowed law enforcement officers to petition for the shooter’s guns to be removed after that person had been taken into protective custody and evaluated by a mental health professional.
Unlike a Red Flag Law, the Yellow Flag Law only allows law enforcement to petition for the removal of weapons following a mental health evaluation.
In addition to law enforcement officers, the Red Flag Law allows family, household members, or current or former domestic partners to petition the court for an extreme risk protection order without involving a mental health evaluation.
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According to state data obtained by Scripps News, the Yellow Flag Law had only been utilized 81 times prior to the 2023 shooting.
So far, officers have used the law 526 times in the year 2025 including a case this week in which a woman, 41, threatened to kill herself and her ex-husband.
The Yellow Flag Law will continue to remain in effect.
