LD2130 prohibits unauthorized paramilitary training in Maine. It makes it a crime (Class D) to intentionally train others in using weapons or combat techniques if the trainer knows it will be used for “civil disorder.” It also bans assembling for such training with the intent of furthering “civil disorder.”
The Maine State Senate passed LD2130 on April 9, 2024 by a vote of 20 to 14. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill directly violates the First and Second Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment guarantees the right to peaceably assemble, and the Second Amendment affirms that a well-regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state. Criminalizing weapons training based on perceived intent grants the government excessive power to suppress lawful assembly and self-defense. The Constitution does not grant the state authority to dictate who may train with arms or for what purpose, and any law that does so undermines the very freedoms it was designed to protect.