AUGUSTA — The Maine Gun Safety Coalition turned in thousands of signatures Thursday to call for a public vote on whether Maine should adopt a red flag law.

The group is pushing for the law — also known as an extreme risk protection order — similar to what’s already in place in 21 other states.

The laws allow family members to directly petition a court for the removal of firearms if “a loved one is in crisis and may pose a threat to themselves or others.”

“Mainers across the state agree that enough is enough,” said Nacole Palmer, the coalition’s executive director. “It is time to do everything we can to prevent another tragedy.”

As it is now, Maine has a yellow flag law in which families call police who then can order a mental health examination followed by a court order to remove firearms.

The coalition said the Legislature’s failure to even take a vote on a red flag bill last session prompted them to gather more than 80,000 signatures for a ballot question.

“Too many lawmakers failed to act, buckling in political pressure,” said Arthur Barnard, the father of Artie Strout, one of the 18 killed in Lewiston. “To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I was furious.”

In the wake of the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston in which a gunman killed 18 people, Maine lawmakers earmarked more funding for mental health services, expanded background checks, and implemented a 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases.

Gov. Janet Mills has been a supporter of the 2020 yellow flag law, emphasizing to reporters over the summer that she believes it is working.

And on Wednesday, new statistics showed that since the Lewiston shootings, it’s been used 580 times — a dramatic increase from the three years prior to the tragedy.

Palmer said Thursday that the red flag proposal would not replace the current system but add to it.

“With such a high documented rate of danger to our communities we need to have every tool in place in order to prevent these tragedies before they happen,” she said. “We want to make sure there isn’t another gunman who falls through the cracks.”

By submitting signatures for a public vote, the coalition can avoid the possibility of a major legislative fight over the bill and potential opposition from Mills.

But they will be opposed by the powerful Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Gun Owners of Maine, both of whom will urge voters to reject the ballot question.

David Trahan, the sportsman’s alliance executive director, helped craft the current yellow flag law and said that it’s used far more frequently than red flag laws in other states, particularly Massachusetts.

“I think they are playing a very dangerous game,” he said. “This is all political. Our law is more effective.”

He said having both a yellow and red flag law on the books will cause confusion for family members and law enforcement.

Laura Whitcomb, president of the Gun Owners of Maine, said in a statement that she’s worried that the law will take rights away from responsible gun owners without improving safety.

“While the Maine Gun Safety Coalition continues to utilize emotional pleas in an attempt to manipulate the people of Maine, Gun Owners of Maine will stand ready with the facts, and will continue to defend the rights of responsible gun owners in the face of the anti-gun rights lobby’s attempt to turn Maine into states like New York, Illinois and California,” she wrote.