Testimony Neither For Nor Against
LD 343, An Act to Prohibit the Discharge of a Firearm within 300 Feet of a State-Owned Boat Launching Ramp
Before the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Written by David Trahan, Executive Director, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
March 17, 2017
Senator Rosen, Representative Warren, distinguished members of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee my name is David Trahan and I am representing the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine testifying Neither For-Nor-Against to LD 343, An Act to Prohibit the Discharge of a Firearm within 300 Feet of a State-Owned Boat Launching Ramp.
The reason our organization is not testifying in support of this legislation is because we believe the bill is too broad. There are some very remote and rural primitive boat launches where this blanket policy could be a problem. Giving authority to agencies to apply this discharge policy on a case by case basis makes more sense. In addition to expanding this authority we recommend defining more clearly boat launch boundaries so the public understands where the 300 feet begins and ends, otherwise this law could be an enforcement nightmare.