AUGUSTA - The Maine House voted Thursday to pass legislation sponsored by Rep. Vicki Doudera, D-Camden, aimed at lowering Maine's high rate of suicide deaths.
LD 2119, as amended, would study allowing individuals to voluntarily and confidentially add their names to the federal do-not-sell firearms list, thereby preventing potential future gun purchases if that individual is experiencing a suicidal crisis. The voluntary do-not-sell measure is also known as " Donnas Law" and has already passed in Utah, Virginia and Washington state.
In remarks made on the House floor, Doudera called suicide one of Maine's most pressing public health problems.
"In 2021, nearly 89 percent of our state's firearm deaths were suicides," said Doudera, noting that suicide attempts are often impulsive acts. "Those who reach for a gun during suicidal crises rarely have a second chance, but this innovative policy empowers suicidal people to proactively act to promote their own health and safety, similar to what happens in casinos with people who have a gambling problem. It gives people prone to suicidality the agency to make decisions about their own access to guns during periods when they are not actively suicidal."
The bill would create a stakeholder group composed of individuals working in suicide prevention, mental health, the firearm industry and other professions who would examine the best system for implementing a voluntary waiver of firearm rights in Maine. The group would study costs, confidentiality, the prevention of coercion or fraud, and methods used in other states. They would be required to report their findings to the Legislature by November 2024.
Organizations in support of the measure include the Maine Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Maine Public Health Association, the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, among others.
The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate in the coming days.
Doudera is serving her third term in the Maine House and is a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Marine Resources Committee. She represents the towns of Camden and Rockport and is the co-chair of the Legislature's Gun Safety Caucus.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Doudera], c. 305-965-2744