Maine Top Court Overturns Gun Ban in Projects

PORTLAND, Me. — Maine’s highest court Tuesday struck down a 20-year-old ban on guns in public housing projects.

Sidestepping the constitutional issue of the right to bear arms, the Supreme Judicial Court instead ruled, 6 to 0, that the Portland Housing Authority has no authority under state law to regulate possession of guns.

The case has been watched closely around the country. The Chicago Housing Authority, for instance, has prohibited firearms for more than 20 years.

The National Rifle Assn. sued on behalf of an anonymous couple who live in the projects and own hunting rifles and handguns in violation of their lease.

The Housing Authority won the first round when a judge upheld the ban. Some tenants at Sagamore Village, one of the Housing Authority’s largest projects, were critical of Tuesday’s high court ruling.

Linda Diamond, a mother of four, said: “I see a lot of violence going on without guns. I can imagine what would go on if they did have guns.”

But Sandra Willette said she and others who might want a gun for protection should have that option.

The ban was written into lease agreements in 1975 in response to gang activity. The violence was so bad that the Postal Service balked at delivering mail to the projects and firefighters refused to enter without police protection.