08/27/2026
Waiting period update from GOME
Many of you have emailed GOME in recent weeks asking about updates to the Waiting Period lawsuit. To our dismay there wasn't any information we could share - not because we knew something that you didn't, but because there quite literally wasn't anything to tell. As of today, that changes.
As most of you know, the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation) is leading the lawsuit on behalf of Maine citizens. As these cases go, it is slowly moving through the court system. The first battle has been securing an injunction to put a hold on the law while the case is fought out. This is why we briefly had a waiting period, until Judge Walker ruled that the law should be put on hold because he deemed that, based on the Second Amendment and existing case law, we would win the actual battle of striking down this Maine law. As you can imagine, the Attorney General of Maine objected to that injunction and requested an appeal to the Maine District Court to reinstate the law while the larger battle plays out. As we expected, the Maine District Court sided with Judge Walker, and the injunction was upheld, meaning that we still didn't have a waiting period.... while the larger battle plays out.
Guess what - the Attorney General STILL didn't like that ruling, and appealed to the federal district court in Boston to overturn the injunction. As anyone might have guessed, a Massachusetts-based court sided against firearm freedom, and reinstated the 72 hour waiting period. That is currently why you must wait 72 hours before collecting your fi****ms after agreeing to a purchase.
That brings us up to yesterday, when the NSSF submitted a "petition for certiorari" to the Supreme Court to take up our current injunction case. This is a long shot, as the Court only takes around 60 cases a year; however, ours is unique in its simplicity, and with the court already taking on a few other firearm rights cases, this one could make it in. There will be some back and forth with Maine's AG, before a decision is made. If the Supreme Court decides not to hear the case, the NSSF drops back to Judge Walker (who already ruled in our favor) to hear the main merits of the case and rule on the law's legality.
I know this has been wordy, but I wanted to ensure everyone was up to speed. Sadly, this is how the legal system works - lawsuits and court cases take years to resolve. This is why we need to vote for pro-firearm rights legislators in November. It's much faster and much cheaper to stop, change, or remove these laws at our state level rather than through lawsuits. Get out the vote—donate to GOME's PAC where we can put your money to work supporting those who support Gun Owners of Maine - you.
-Joshua Raines
GOME President
"Hiding is incompatible with activism. Choose one." - Todd Tolhurst
