In the wake of Parkland and the many other recent mass shootings, common-sense measures to make such events less likely, including restrictions on the purchase of certain kinds of firearms, have become urgent priorities both nationally and here in the state of Maine.

Yet none of the Republican candidates for governor and surprisingly few of the Democratic hopefuls have been willing to declare their support for the following four

measures: 1) making background checks mandatory on all sales of firearms; 2) prohibiting the sale of military-style assault weapons such as the AR-15; (3) banning the sale or possession of bump stocks; and (4) stopping sales of high-capacity (more than 10-bullet) magazines. All of the candidates say they are in favor of gun safety, but most of them shy away from specifics.

Of the three leading Democratic contenders for governor, only Mark Eves has actually gone on record in support of these four simple measures. The only other gubernatorial candidate from either party who has stepped forward is Betsy Sweet.

Mark Eves’ position on gun safety has been well-known ever since he served as speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and earned a D rating from the National Rifle Association.

He has made no bones of his strong support for the simple measures listed above. Maine Democratic voters who think that the four gun safety measures mentioned above are overdue in Maine would do well to give their first-choice votes to Mark Eves in the upcoming June 12 primary.

Debby and Peter Murray

Portland