Maine is one of ten states that have waiting periods for gun purchases. The District of Columbia also has one. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills allowed Maine’s restriction to become law without her signature. It went into effect in August.

Maine’s waiting period law was one of several gun control measures passed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature after an Army reservist killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in the state’s deadliest mass shooting since October 2023.

Laura Whitcomb, president of Gun Owners of Maine, said Wednesday that the lawsuit is being led by a coalition of her group and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, with assistance from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

She and other critics of the waiting period law pointed out that there are certain situations in which the purchase of a gun should not be delayed, such as when a victim of domestic violence wants to buy one. Maine hunting guides also pointed out that someone who is in the state for a short period of time for legal hunting may no longer be able to purchase a gun for the trip.

The plaintiffs include gun dealers and gunsmiths who claim their businesses are being harmed, along with a domestic abuse victim who armed herself because she didn’t believe a court order would protect her. The woman said she slept with a gun next to her while her attacker or his friends pelted her camper with rocks.

Nacole Palmer, who heads the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, said she is confident the waiting period law will survive the legal challenge.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, said half of Maine’s 277 suicides involved a gun in the most recent 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that she believes that the waiting period law will reduce the number. of suicides with a firearm.

“I am confident that the 72-hour waiting period will save lives and spare many families the pain of losing a loved one to suicide by firearm,” she said.