Federal Judge Blocks Maine’s Gun Waiting Period

Last May, the seven-day waiting period for gun sales in New Mexico went into effect. A lawsuit was filed against this new law, but was unsuccessful. Where is goes from here is up in the air. I haven't seen any appeals filed on it as yet. 

In anticipation of the new law, I bought a Winchester Model 12 shotgun a month before.

However, gun rights activists were pleased in the state of Maine when a 72-hour waiting period was blocked by a federal judge saying it violated the Second Amendment.

According to The Reload:

Requiring blanket delays on firearm sales violates the Second Amendment.

That’s according to US District Court Judge Lance Walker. On Thursday, Walker issued a preliminary injunction against Maine’s 72-hour waiting period requirement for gun sales in a challenge brought by several Maine gun stores and individual gun owners. He found that the mandatory waiting period lacked a valid historical analogue and must be blocked.

“Viewed dispassionately, the Act employs no standard at all to justify disarming individuals, let alone a standard that can be described as narrow, objective, or definite,” Walker wrote in Beckwith v. Frey. “Consequently, I find that Plaintiffs have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their Second Amendment claim.”

The ruling immediately prevents state officials from enforcing the three-day waiting period for gun sales while the lawsuit continues to play out. It delivers a victory for gun-rights advocates challenging waiting periods after a string of recent setbacks in cases dealing with similar delays and other commercial firearms regulations. 

This will likely be appealed. 

To read more, go here.