UPDATE: Maine Background Check Bill Defeated in Senate

UPDATE:  Yesterday afternoon, we reported on a bill in the Maine legislature relating to background checks that was pending a Senate vote that could have sent the bill to the Governor’s desk.  Just before 4pm last night, however, the Senate voted and the bill was defeated by a vote of 19 to 17.  Later on, during the evening session, the Senate passed a different version of the bill which makes no reference to background checks and provides only that it is a Class D crime to “intentionally or knowingly” sell or transfer “a firearm to a person that the seller or transferor knows or believes is prohibited from possessing a firearm.”  The revised version of the bill has now been sent back to the House for a concurrence vote which could occur as soon as today.