WHEREAS, the 130th Maine Legislature unanimously passed L.D. 1861, An Act to Establish the Safe Homes Program, and as Governor, I signed the bill into law on April 7, 2022; and

WHEREAS, this bipartisan law promotes responsible gun ownership and educates Maine people about gun safety while ensuring that gun owners are not prevented from taking steps to safely secure their firearms because of an issue of affordability or lack of knowledge and information about safe storage options; and

WHEREAS, the Safe Homes Program is an optional, voluntary grant program that builds on the work of L.D. 1140, An Act To Establish a Sales Tax Exemption for the Purchase of Firearm Safety Devices, by making storage devices, such as gun safes, more affordable for people who want to buy them; and

WHEREAS, the Safe Homes Program Fund will provide grants for purchasing safety devices for the safe storage of prescription drugs, firearms, and dangerous weapons in homes or public spaces; and

WHEREAS, according to a report by the Maine CDC, there were 178 deaths by firearms in the State of Maine in 2021, with over 88 percent of the deaths the result of suicide; and

WHEREAS, in 2023, 607 Maine people died from overdoses, a decrease of 16 percent from the number of those who died from overdoses in 2022; and

WHEREAS, by ensuring that firearms and prescription drugs are properly stored and secured, this law will reduce accidental gun deaths, prevent suicide, and improve public health; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with 1 M.R.S. § 150-R, the month of September of each year is designated as Safe Homes Awareness Month to raise awareness of the importance of safety in the home and of the existence of and assistance that is available through the Safe Homes Program established in Title 25, section 7001;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the month of September as

Safe Homes Awareness Month

throughout the State of Maine, and I urge all citizens to recognize this observance, promote the proper storage of prescription drugs and firearms, and learn more about the assistance available through the Safe Homes Program.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this twenty eighth of August Two Thousand Twenty-Four