For too many of our citizens, day to day life is a living hell of fear of the monstrous violence that takes place behind closed doors. We can pass laws, add judges and DAs-and we will-but this scourge will not pass until we decide once and for all as a
people that it is not acceptable, cool, cute, or a symbol of macho power to beat up on women or children. I can’t imagine anything less macho than a grown man hitting a kid. If you think back 20 years, we came to a similar point with driving drunk and we
toughened the laws, but we also just plain stopped tolerating it.
And so tonight, let’s start that process of change-first by committing ourselves to enforce the law-in my view, the rule should be zero tolerance-abuse of women and children in Maine
will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted. Let’s send this message by preventing someone under a protective order as a result of domestic violence from getting a permit to carry a concealed weapon. This isn’t gun control, it’s common sense.
Source: State of the State address to the Maine legislature
Jan 24, 2001
