69% of card-carrying NRA members agree that the Gun Show Loophole should be closed (according to conservative pollster Frank Luntz from his December 2009 poll) - no background check, no sale!

88% of Mainers surveyed in the fall of 2009 (Pan Atlantic poll) agree the Gun Show Loophole should be closed.

Maine is the number one source for guns used in the commission of crimes in Massachusetts. 11% of guns used in those crimes come from Maine (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - 2008). Many guns are being traded for drugs or being purchased with drug money as runners come up the Maine Pike for illegal trafficing.

200-300 people fail background checks each year in Maine because they are criminals, have been found guilty of domestic violence, are mentally ill, or underage. Once rejected they can always purchase guns through sources like Uncle Henry's without the seller knowing they've already been denied a gun elsewhere (this is one area where the Gun Show Loophole comes into play in Maine).

Contrary to popular myth, Maine is not immune from firearm killings. According to CDC data from 2005 the Maine firearms death rate is higher than that in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, and six other states.

Maine has a much higher suicide and domestic violence rate: the most recent data from the Maine CDC shows a suicide rate for the age 20 to 24 demographic that is 30% above the national average. Firearms account for more than 50% of suicide deaths. Suicide attempts with guns are fatal 85% of the time, but of those who survive an initial attempt, only 10% later commit suicide. Domestic violence in Maine generally is regarded as much higher than in other states although precise data is not available.

The unrestricted sale of guns in Maine has contributed to youth suicides, domestic violence deaths, hate crimes, and homicides here and across the Nation.

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