Alaska joins 23-state brief against Maine's 72-hour gun waiting period

Alaska joined a Montana-led coalition of 23 states Monday in a legal brief arguing that Maine's three-day waiting period for firearm purchases violates the Second Amendment.

"The Constitution acknowledges the rights of citizens to firearms, and it is incredibly clear that nothing shall stop the free exercise of those rights," Acting Attorney General Cori Mills said. "And yet, states like Maine have normalized making citizens wait to exercise the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution."

The brief argues that "forcing a person to delay taking possession of a firearm is clearly 'a restriction on possession.'" The Department of Law said the attorney general joins such cases when clarifying constitutional rights can help protect Alaskans' rights.

Maine's waiting period took effect Aug. 29, 2024. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law in April, according to a Duke legal analysis. Maine gun owners and gun-rights groups are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review that ruling. Court materials defending the law cited research linking waiting periods to fewer gun suicides and homicides.

The release presents only the coalition's view. The filing is in federal court, and records are available through PACER, the federal courts' electronic records system.