1963
- 1983 – Logger
- 1998-2006 Maine State House of Representatives
- 2008-2011 Maine State Senate
- Lobbyist
- Executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
- 2019 – proposed L.D. 1811, the ‘yellow flag’ law in Maine to defend against Red Flag laws
About David Trahan
David Trahan is a Waldoboro, Maine, logger, former Republican state legislator, and longtime executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM), a lobbying group for Maine hunters, anglers and gun owners. A graduate of the University of Maine at Augusta, he served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006 and in the Maine Senate, representing the 20th District covering much of Lincoln County, from December 2008 until January 2012. He became SAM’s executive director in October 2011 and resigned his Senate seat on January 4, 2012, which led to a special election in the district.
Trahan is best known nationally for Maine’s “yellow flag” law, enacted by the 129th Legislature as LD 1811 (SP 0612). Rather than a red flag order based on a preponderance of the evidence, the Maine law runs through the state’s protective custody statute: a person in crisis must first be taken into protective custody and evaluated by a medical professional, and a court must find clear and convincing evidence before weapons are temporarily removed. Trahan helped build the law with Governor Janet Mills, legislators from both parties and SAM, and he has defended it as an alternative to red flag laws, including in an April 2024 Bangor Daily News column. SAM remained active in Maine politics in 2026.
Key Facts
- February 25, 1963: Born
- 1998-2006: Serves in the Maine House of Representatives
- December 3, 2008: Sworn in to the Maine Senate, 20th District
- October 2011: Becomes executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
- January 4, 2012: Resigns from the Maine Senate
- April 2024: Defends Maine’s yellow flag law in the Bangor Daily News
Sources
- Wikipedia: David Trahan
- Bangor Daily News: Maine’s Yellow Flag Law Works
- Bangor Daily News: Senator Who Heads Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Resigns
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