Byron, Maine, voters said no to a proposal that would have mandated all homeowners in the town to stow a gun and ammunition inside their houses.
In the end, even the local government official who proposed the measure voted against it, CNN reported. But she vows to reintroduce it, reworked and fine-tuned.
“We had some great ideas and great conversations. I think we will come back with a more comprehensive ordinance, maybe stronger wording for exemptions,” said Selectwoman Anne Simmons-Edmunds, in the CNN report.
Even some gun owners balked at the mandate.
State senator and National Rifle Association member John Patrick said to CNN that the proposal was “too much,” and unnecessary, “especially in a small town.” Byron has about 140 residents.
But such proposals aren’t exactly fringe. Kennesaw, Ga., residents passed a mandate in 1982 that all households store a firearm and ammunition. And just last week, Nelson, Ga., town officials passed the same requirement on to voters to decide. The council will decide its fate in April, CNN reports.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Second Amendment & Gun Control
Look west and Spring City, Utah, government officials approved a resolution that encourages, rather than outright requires, homeowners to own a weapon — and offered city buildings to be used to train gun owners to shoot, CNN says,
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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