Voting “Yes” for referendum Question 2 on this November’s ballot makes good sense. It also promises to save lives.

Maine needs every possible legal tool to prevent gun deaths and mayhem. Passing Question 2 will provide just such tools. A person in crisis does not have to be judged mentally ill or in a mental institution to be a threat to society. Their family and friends may be the first to recognize the danger they pose. If Question 2 passes, those family members and friends will have a process available to assess risk and remove firearms. 

Voting “Yes” on Question 2 establishes new tools for good people who might otherwise feel helpless or immobilized by a cumbersome legal system — and it will help prevent the future killing of our fellow Mainers, young and old.

Robert Sellin
South Portland