Lawmakers in Maine voted to enact comprehensive gun safety measures less than six months after the deadliest mass shooting in state history left 18 people dead and more than a dozen injured.
Legislation approved Thursday strengthens background checks on private gun sales and makes it a criminal offense to wantonly provide a firearm to someone who shouldn’t have one.
The bill, urged by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, also provides funding for a mental health crisis center in Lewiston, where Army reservist Robert Card went on a deadly Oct. 25 shooting spree, targeting a bowling alley and a bar.
Gun safety steps taken Thursday came hours after Maine’s Senate agreed to a 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases. The governor will review that bill as well as another that would ban bump stocks.
Executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition Nacole Palmer called this week’s actions by lawmakers “significant steps” toward keeping citizens safe.
While some Mainers impacted by Card’s shooting spree supported measures to make mass shootings in the state less likely, Ben Dyer, who was shot five times that night, told the Associated Press he’s not sure Thursday’s actions legislators accomplish that feat.
“A sick person did a sick thing that day,” he said. “And the Legislature and politicians are trying to capitalize on that to get their agendas passed.”
Dyer believes rigid gun control laws mainly hurt law-abiding weapon owners.
Card was institutionalized prior to his killing spree and said he “heard voices” before opening fire on civilians in Maine’s second-largest city.
Maine has yellow flag laws that allow police to ask courts to consider whether an individual is fit to possess a gun. The state hasn’t been able to pass a red flag law that would allow family members to petition a judge directly with concerns about a loved one’s access to firearms.
Card had 20 years of military experience, but was never deployed, officials said. The 40-year-old shooter took his own life shortly after using his Ruger SFAR semi-automatic rifle to wreak havoc on unsuspecting patrons at Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant.
With News Wire Services
