Violent crime is a problem in most major cities, but people rarely think of Portland Maine as having a crime problem. This is a mistake. The Rate of gun deaths has increased by 9% from 2011- 2020, alarming many residents, business owners and police officers. 

Portland, Maine has been considered fairly safe to residents, however in recent years gun violence has risen. In 2023 there were 43 shootings alone. Ethel Ross, Lieutenant of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South believes that drug use is a primary cause of the problem.“There is an uptick in gun violence and I believe it could be largely related to the uptick in drug addiction and lack of services for those people. As well as the lack of accountability for crimes that they are commiting to feed their addiction”. She pointed out that even nice individuals can become hooked on drugs, leading them to participate in actions they would not typically consider, such as stealing or robbing, often utilizing weapons like firearms in the process. 

New gun laws require Background checks to be run in order to make sure they aren’t convicted felons, and they are also questioned on mental health; these laws went into place October 15, 2023. Background checks are run through the ATF so that sometimes people are not able to get firearms that would have been able to get them before because of those new laws. It also allows the police the ability to track firearms that are purchased. 

Maine works with the ATF and local areas to combat gun violence through investigations and assistance programs, whereas the ATF concentrates on tracing firearm purchases. In Ross’s unit the main focus is homicides, and identifying the weapons involved. Which includes tracing firearms by the imprint left on the casings of the bullet, and cross referencing them with the gun found at the scene. The overall goal when going through this process is to find the owner of the gun used and relate it to suspects involved.  The police use the ATF database to track gun’s purchase history and verify ownership. In Maine, private handgun sales require sellers to keep records. “We often track the original buyer to find out who they sold it to. When a gun is fired, it leaves unique markings on the casing and bullet, which allows us to match casings from the crime scene to a specific firearm,” Ross explained, “if we recover a gun, we can test fire it at the Maine state crime lab to compare the casings and determine if it matches the evidence found.”

Many officers believe that the increase in gun violence is the result of lack of accountability for offenders. This issue has come up alongside attempts to reduce jail sentences for behaviors that previously required imprisonment. As a result, many people are freed on bail after committing acts of violence, even if prosecutors believe they pose a threat to the safety of the public. Because of today’s circumstances, such criminals are getting bailed out more frequently than in previous years. Maines incarceration rate is approximately 272 for every 100,000 persons. According to the Maine Department of Corrections, between 10 and 14% of Maine convicts reoffend.

The state of Maine has programs where you can turn in unwanted firearms so they are not left unattended or sold to someone who does not meet the gun purchase requirements. This is currently in place to help prevent gun violence in local areas. “So if they don’t want them they have the ability to give them to a law enforcement agency, to dispose of those weapons. There are ongoing debates right now on whether or not assault rifles should be allowed or shouldn’t be allowed so those things are all ongoing.” states Ross. 

Overall it is evident that a change needs to happen in order to keep our communities safe especially when it comes to gun violence. The bigger changes need to come from the state legislature and court system. However, there are some things gun owners can do to keep their communities safe. They can educate themselves, lock up their guns, keep track of their serial numbers, and lock their doors.