Safe Homes Awareness Month

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 the safe storage of prescription drugs, firearms and other dangerous weapons in homes or public spaces; 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 U.S. CDC, there were 181 deaths by firearms in the State of Maine in 2024, with over 86 percent of the deaths the result of suicide; and

WHEREAS, in 2025, there were 390 confirmed and suspected fatal drug overdoses, 20.4 percent lower than the total confirmed fatal overdoses for 2024; 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 MRSA § 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 the 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 September 2026 as

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 twentieth
of August Two Thousand Twenty-Six