Mainers have a proud tradition of responsible gun ownership, and we strongly believe in the constitutional right to bear arms. We also know that those rights come with responsibilities.

Every day, 91 Americans die from gun violence. Requiring a background check for all gun sales is the single most effective policy for bringing that number down by keeping guns out of the hands of felons, domestic abusers and other dangerous people.

Currently, federal law only requires background checks for gun sales conducted by licensed dealers. But people can easily and anonymously buy guns from unlicensed sellers — often from strangers met online or through classified ads — with no background check required, no questions asked.

Opponents make a lot of outlandish and false claims about Question 3 trying to confuse voters about what this common-sense measure would do. Here are the facts: If Question 3 is enacted, you’ll still be able to pass your guns down to your kids or grandkids, give family members a gun or swap guns while hunting or shooting with your friends — without a background check.

No law-abiding citizen will get in trouble.

Although no one law will stop all crime, research shows that background checks can keep guns away from dangerous people and save lives. In places that already require background checks on all handgun sales, there are:

• 48 percent fewer law enforcement officers are killed with handguns;

• 46 percent fewer women are shot to death by intimate partners;

• 48 percent fewer gun suicides; and

• There is 48 percent less gun trafficking in cities.

Support for criminal background checks on all gun sales is strong across Maine, among Republicans, Democrats and independents alike, whether they own a gun or not.

Question 3 has been endorsed by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, which includes more than 300 law enforcement leaders around the state, sheriffs, Coalition to End Domestic Violence, League of Women Voters, Roman Catholic Diocese, Maine Council of Churches, Maine Women’s Lobby, Maine Children’s Alliance, Maine Medical Association and a growing coalition of organizations that know background checks are the most effective way to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

Mainers know that support for the Second Amendment goes hand in hand with keeping guns away from dangerous people — and that closing loopholes in the background check system is a common-sense policy that respects the rights of gun owners while helping to prevent crime and save lives.

The proposed initiative is a simple, common-sense policy: it requires that everyone in Maine who buys a gun gets the same criminal background check, no matter where they buy it or who they buy it from.

Vote yes on Question 3.

David Farmer is campaign manager for Mainers for Responsible Gun Ownership. He can be reached at [email protected]