AUGUSTA

A bill to require background checks for private firearm sales passed Wednesday by one vote in the Senate.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Mark Dion, D-Portland, former Cumberland County sheriff, to close a loophole in state law that requires background checks for retail gun sales but not for private sales or transfers.

The Senate passed LD 1240, “An Act to Promote the Safe Use and Sale of Firearms,” by an 18-17 count. Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, chairman of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, voted in support of the bill.

“This is a common-sense measure that helps keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them,” Gerzofsky said. “Let’s stop trying protect people who can’t pass background checks.”

The same day, LD 1240 passed a final enactment roll call vote in the House of Representatives by 78-71.

Private sales are estimated to account for as much as 40 percent of gun sales in Maine, according to the Senate Majority Office.

The bill would impose a fine of $500 if a seller does not perform a background check and the buyer is later discovered to be a prohibited person. Subsequent incidents would be considered misdemeanors, as would knowingly and intentionally selling to a prohibited person.