Gun rights advocates just secured a major victory in the Pine Tree State. On Thursday, February 13, Chief Judge Lance Walker of the United States District Court for the District of Maine granted a preliminary injunction of Maine’s unconstitutional waiting period law. This order blocks waiting periods on firearm purchases in Maine until the legal challenge against the law is resolved.
Judge Walker found that under New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the landmark NRA Supreme Court case, Maine’s waiting period law likely violates the Second Amendment because it regulates conduct covered by the Amendment’s plain text and contradicts America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. While the 17-page rebuke of waiting periods is a must-read for any gun rights supporter, the summary of Judge Walkers’ views on the right to bear arms can be summed up by his quote;
“…acquiring a firearm is a necessary step in the exercise of keeping and bearing a firearm. Any interpretation to the contrary requires the type of interpretative jui jitsu that would make Kafka blush.”
While being granted a preliminary injunction is a significant win for gun-rights supporters in Maine, the legal challenge to repeal the law continues. Please continue to check your inbox and NRA-ILA for updates concerning Maine’s waiting period law.
