Mills signs bill to expand background checks for gun purchases, update yellow flag law [Video]

Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Friday that expands background check requirements for gun purchases to include private, advertised sales and that updates the state’s “yellow flag” law to make it easier for police to take someone into protective custody.

The governor signed the legislation one day after the six-month anniversary of the mass shooting in Lewiston that left 18 people dead and 13 others injured.

“Violence is not a simple problem, nor is the remedy a single, simple measure,” Mills said in a written statement. “The measures in this law are not extreme or unusual, or a cookie-cutter version of another state’s laws. They are practical, commonsense measures that are Maine-made and true to our culture and our longstanding traditions while meeting today’s needs.”

The governor announced the legislation during her State of the State address in January as part of a package of reforms in response to the Lewiston shooting.

It …