Post by Logan on Feb 25, 2016 6:02:33 GMT -6
Bill sparks debate over Mainers’ gun rights versus property owners’ rights
AUGUSTA — Gun owners’ rights groups urged lawmakers Wednesday to support a bill inspired by the case of a disabled Rockland man who was told he had to give up his gun to continue living in subsidized housing.
Supporters portrayed the bill as a Second Amendment issue intended to prevent landlords who receive public funding, such as for Section 8 housing, from violating their tenants’ rights to own a gun. But critics argued that the legislation could violate the rights of private property owners and discourage more landlords from participating in programs for low-income renters.
“Rather than trying to solve a real problem, this bill looks more like a request that the Legislature make a statement that gun owners’ rights trump those of non-gun owners,” said Bill Harwood of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition in testimony to the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
The debate stems from an incident last September in which a 67-year-old disabled retiree, Harvey Lembo, shot an intruder who tried to break into his Rockland apartment. Lembo had purchased the handgun one day earlier, after several break-ins at his apartment.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/02/24/bill-sparks-debate-over-gun-rights-versus-property-rights/
AUGUSTA — Gun owners’ rights groups urged lawmakers Wednesday to support a bill inspired by the case of a disabled Rockland man who was told he had to give up his gun to continue living in subsidized housing.
Supporters portrayed the bill as a Second Amendment issue intended to prevent landlords who receive public funding, such as for Section 8 housing, from violating their tenants’ rights to own a gun. But critics argued that the legislation could violate the rights of private property owners and discourage more landlords from participating in programs for low-income renters.
“Rather than trying to solve a real problem, this bill looks more like a request that the Legislature make a statement that gun owners’ rights trump those of non-gun owners,” said Bill Harwood of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition in testimony to the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
The debate stems from an incident last September in which a 67-year-old disabled retiree, Harvey Lembo, shot an intruder who tried to break into his Rockland apartment. Lembo had purchased the handgun one day earlier, after several break-ins at his apartment.
Read more: www.pressherald.com/2016/02/24/bill-sparks-debate-over-gun-rights-versus-property-rights/