Troy Jackson is the former president of the Maine Senate and a candidate for governor.
The first gun I ever held was a .22 Remington rifle given to me by my uncle. On its face, the gun wasn’t anything special but in reality, it unlocked a whole new world for me: the world of hunting.
It meant days with my father riding through the woods, walking down old roads and listening to his stories. To a kid whose father was often gone for weeks on end working in the logging industry, that uninterrupted quality time with my dad meant everything.
My relationship with hunting and firearms is far from unique. I suspect that most Mainers who grew up hunting share this sentiment. I am a sportsman. I am a Mainer. And I believe in responsible gun ownership as deeply as anyone in this state. When I first started in politics, I was proud to be endorsed by the National Rifle Association. For a kid from the woods of northern Maine, that felt like a badge of honor.
I’ve seen too much since then. I’ve stood with a community shattered by the worst mass shooting in Maine’s history — knowing, in my heart, that the Lewiston tragedy might have been prevented if we had done more.
The Lewiston mass shooting broke something open in Maine. It exposed the cracks in our system, cracks big enough for 18 lives to fall through in a single night. Not to mention the 13 Mainers who were injured and thousands of lives that were forever changed.
Families saw it coming. Co-workers saw it coming. Soldiers saw it coming. And still, nothing stopped it. The shooter’s instability was documented. Our yellow flag law, as valuable as it is, wasn’t enough to fill the cracks that tragedy slipped through. I can’t ignore that. And I won’t. That’s why, after a lot of thought, I’m voting “Yes” on Question 2.
I know how this governor’s race is going to go. My opponents on both sides of the aisle (and in between) will use this endorsement against me. They will say I was with the NRA then and am against them now. They’re right, because here’s the truth: I was wrong.
Here’s the other thing I know: refusing to change, even after the worst mass shooting in Maine’s history, would be the real failure. Evolving isn’t a weakness. It’s courage. It’s what leaders should do when faced with hard truths.
It’s why I was disappointed to see our governor’s op-ed against red flag (“Gov. Mills: Why I’m voting ‘No’ on Maine’s ‘red flag’ question,” Sept. 26). Lewiston revealed the limits of our yellow flag law. A red flag law would give families the chance to act if they were concerned about a loved one while also protecting Mainers’ constitutional rights. It’s narrowly worded to fill the gaps in Maine’s laws.
The governor talked about taking the burden off of families. But to me, under the current law, families have all the burden and not enough tools to take action in times of crises. Their cries for help are ignored, their suffering unbearable.
And her concerns about due process don’t hold up. Maine’s courts have long used this exact standard in domestic violence cases — and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has upheld it. Sworn evidence. A hearing. The right to challenge. Strict time limits. These protections have worked for years to keep families safe from abusers while respecting rights. They will work here, too.
Let’s also be honest: the red flag law doesn’t replace the yellow flag law. It doesn’t erase it. They can and should exist together — they are not rivals. They are complementary tools in the toolbox. Law enforcement officers across Maine will tell you they need more tools, not fewer, to protect lives. And with fewer local police departments and law enforcement officers, families need options in a crisis.
I still believe in responsible gun ownership. I still believe in Maine’s sporting traditions. But those beliefs are not at odds with keeping our families and communities safe. In fact, they demand it. Responsible gun owners know that rights come with responsibilities — including the responsibility to protect our neighbors from preventable tragedy.
I’ve evolved because Lewiston showed us the cost of doing nothing. And I refuse to accept that tragedy is inevitable when solutions are in front of us. Maine deserves leaders willing to evolve, to admit when laws fall short, and to act when lives are on the line. Passing Question 2 is our chance to do that. It is our chance to honor those we lost not just with words, but with action.