The language for a controversial Red Flag Law ballot measure is now finalized after Secretary of State Shenna Bellows released the official verbiage Monday.
It reads: “Do you want to allow courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if law enforcement, family, or household members show that the person poses a significant danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others?”
A red flag law allows family members to ask a court to remove weapons from someone considered a risk to themselves or others.
The state’s current yellow flag law only lets law enforcement take such steps.
The ballot measure comes after 74,888 valid signatures were submitted, surpassing the required 67,682 signatures, which is 10 percent of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election.
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition backs the ballot measure, which gathered momentum after the Lewiston mass shooting.
But the group Gun Owners of Maine say Maine’s existing yellow flag law is adequate to keep Mainers safe and provides an opportunity for mental health issues to be addressed, unlike a red flag law.
They say the yellow flag law has already been used more than 500 times since the Lewiston shooting in October of 2023.
The Maine Legislature could vote to enact the law but attempts to get similar laws approved by lawmakers in the past have failed.
The ballot measure will go before voters in November.
