You may have signed a petition for the Safe Schools, Safe Communities Initiative at your polling place on Election Day. While 60,000 signatures were gathered that day, more are still needed, and you can help by collecting them at your church.
This citizen initiative to pass an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law in Maine will help keep our kids, families, schools, and communities safe by empowering family members to get help when a loved one is in crisis. ERPOs provide a much-needed tool for families and law enforcement to intervene before a crisis becomes a tragedy. Other states have used these laws to disarm people who threatened school shootings. Additionally, these types of laws are effective in reducing incidents of suicide—the leading cause of firearm death in Maine, especially among men.
By signing the petition, you will support encouraging the Maine legislature to pass an ERPO Law. If lawmakers fail to take action, this petition will let us put this common-sense proposal to prevent gun violence out to the voters.
To collect signatures at your church, please contact the Maine Gun Safety Coalition.
The coalition needs 8,000 more signatures in the next three weeks to qualify for the 2025 ballot.
The Safe Schools, Safe Communities campaign is a coalition effort by gun responsibility advocates, health care and mental health professionals, teachers, gun owners, veterans’ groups, and faith leaders, including The Maine Council of Churches and the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.
Please contact the diocese’s Director of Public Advocacy, John Hennessy, with questions.