Kudos to the Maine State Police Department for supporting this legislation. In October, the law Maine Gov. Paul LePage signed July 8 goes into effect, the one that allows Down Easters to carry concealed handguns without a permit. In doing so, Maine is the sixth state in the nation to allow permitless firearm carry. It wasn’t much of a stretch: Already, the state allows open carry without a permit; the permit, with the requisite fees and background check, was needed if someone wanted to carry concealed. The national anti-gun groups were lobbying in the state, and at least two police organizations opposed giving the citizens of Maine greater freedom to bear arms. But the Maine State Police, with other Second Amendment supporters, argued that criminals are already breaking the law, thus a permitting process only burdens law-abiding citizens. Executive Director for the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action Chris Cox said in a statement, “Maine now joins an ever-growing number of states in passing permitless carry. Despite the best efforts of Michael Bloomberg-funded groups to distort the truth, the Maine legislature and Governor stood strong for freedom. … It’s encouraging to see a governor stand up for the rights of their constituents, instead of caving to the demands of an anti-gun billionaire from New York City.”