CARIBOU, Maine — The prospect of Mainers having the freedom to conceal a weapon without a permit is up in the air and Caribou Police Chief, Michael Gahagan, said, “at this point nothing has changed.”
It’s business as usual in Caribou. If you want to go about your business with a concealed weapon you need a permit. “We think the best process is knowing that a person who comes in to get their permit has the training and the knowledge of when they can and can’t use a handgun,” Gahagan said. “It’s another check and balance that your local police department can keep everybody safe.”
Even if the legislature does allow state residents to carry without a permit Gahagan would continue to advocate gun safety and issue permits for his community. Despite the fact there’s nothing his department can do to stop an individual from carrying.
Gahagan believes no good will come from carrying without a permit and that it only helps criminals. “How do we protect everybody if all my officers now don’t know if everybody is carrying a gun,” he said. “We’re reverting back to the wild west.” His department is already facing a shortfall of officers and he doesn’t want his men to have the added pressure of not knowing who’s carrying a weapon. “You’re going to have to assume every time you stop a vehicle, every time you encounter the public that someone is carrying a weapon.
“We’re always concerned for the men. With the drug issues we’re dealing more with individuals having weapons for show of force than we ever have in my 40-year career,” he said.
The Maine Chiefs of Police Association has fought against this bill, “We opposed it even though the state police are in favor of it,” Gahagan said. And the reason the state is still mulling over the bill, he explained, is because “The legislature is now concerned about the $100,000 the state would lose in lost permits.”
Issuing permits is an educational process Gahagan wants for his community. “We look at the news everyday about the mental health issues that’s out there on our streets. Assume now that those individuals have guns. It’s not helpful to have situations where it’s us vs. them. I can’t see anything good coming out of this.”
