After Lewiston shooting, Maine congressional candidates have mixed support for gun reform • Maine Morning Star

A year after the deadliest mass shooting in Maine, in which 18 people were killed by a man with a Ruger SFAR rifle, Maine’s congressional delegation and those running against them in the upcoming election do not all support an assault weapons ban.

Maine Morning Star asked the incumbents and their challengers for their position on various aspects of gun policy, including a national gun registry and extreme risk protection orders, so-called red flag laws, which give families and law enforcement a tool to keep guns to remove from someone who is considered a dangerous danger to yourself or others.

Maine currently has a “yellow flag” law that only allows law enforcement to file a firearm removal request and requires a psychological evaluation. A commission is investigating the shooting in Lewiston completed prosecution had probable cause to use current law to take gunman Robert Card II’s firearms, but did not do so. Lots of advocates and lawmakers believe A red flag law would have been more effective.

A majority of candidates agreed there is a connection between gun violence and mental health issues, and many said they would support increased mental health support to prevent gun violence, particularly for young people and in schools.

2nd Congressional District

Gun rights have been hotly debated in Maine since the Lewiston shooting on October 25, 2023, particularly in the race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, whose public U-turn On assault weapons, after the shooting drew praise and criticism in his hometown, he still tried to highlight Support for his re-election among gun owners.

“Some gun owners will say my proposal goes too far or that nothing should be done at all. Others will say it’s too tight,” he wrote in one Bangor Daily News commentary outlines his new position. “But the math is simple: Maine must strike a balance between protecting individual rights and protecting our community from the destructiveness of mass shootings.”

Golden specifically said he would oppose the sale of new assault weapons.

However, according to a campaign spokesman, the congressman still opposes red flag laws and has voted against them in both the Maine legislature and Congress.

Golden would also oppose any proposed national gun registry, the spokesman said, repeating what Golden had said along the way the second CD2 debate earlier this month. However, Golden said he supports a permit system for those who own assault rifles.

Golden’s Republican challenger, Austin Theriault, was endorsed by the National Rifle Association and received an A+ from the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine. an organization that advocates for gun rights. Theriault, however, did not respond to requests for comment Based on his voting records and debate answers, Theriault opposes red flag laws, a national gun registry and an assault weapons ban. During the debates, he reiterated the importance of protecting the Second Amendment.

However, Theriault said during a debate that he supports Maine’s weaker yellow flag law.

Diana Merenda, who is running as the official candidate for the 2nd district, said: “There is absolutely no reason for anyone to acquire an assault weapon. Point.”

But she argued that red flag laws and gun registries are not effective in preventing rampant mass shootings in the United States.

“This situation cannot be solved with a magic wand law, nor can it endure if we view America as an exemplary, civilized society,” she said. “We have to go back to basics. A national gun registry is a start, but insufficient.”

1st Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who has represented southern Maine since 2009, has consistently supported gun control legislation throughout her career.

In 2022 she helped pass the exam Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which made changes to federal firearms laws, including expanding background check requirements, and also provided funding for behavioral and mental health services, improved school safety, and addressed gun violence in communities.

“I continue to support measures that go much further, including banning assault weapons, expanding background checks and enacting a statewide ‘red flag’ law,” Pingree said.

She also said she supports a statewide ban on assault weapons.

“The horrific shooting in Lewiston last year was committed with a semi-automatic rifle, and I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure such a tragedy cannot happen again,” she said.

Pingree’s Republican challenger, Ron Russell, said he does not support red flag laws because “there is no due process for their execution,” nor does he advocate a ban on assault weapons or a gun registry.

“Guns don’t kill people. “The people who operate the guns are the culprits in these shootings,” he said.

“I support better mental health counseling and would not limit it just to those trying to buy guns.”

Like Theriault, Russell said he supports regulations like Maine’s yellow flag law, “which have an element of due process,” he said.

Independent Ethan Alcorn said it would be a violation of the Second Amendment to allow courts to take away people’s guns or a national gun registry.

“If someone wants to report you for something you haven’t done yet, that could be dangerous,” he said.

According to Alcorn, while assault weapons aren’t really a “necessary” part of a person’s arsenal, the Second Amendment allows anyone to have one if they want.

“It’s like an abortion; If you don’t like abortion, don’t have it. If you don’t like guns, don’t have them,” Alcorn said, but did not specify whether he believes assault weapons should be banned nationally.

US Senate

A month after the Lewiston shooting last year, independent U.S. Sen. Angus King introduced Legislation that would restrict certain types of assault weapons.

The Exclusion of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms – or GOSAFE – The law aimed to restrict the use of weapons based on how they function, as opposed to a broader ban on assault weapons.

“For years, I have been saying that rather than using the appearance of these weapons to limit them, we should focus on how these weapons actually work and what characteristics make them particularly dangerous,” King said in a statement at the time.

“Nothing can restore the lives of our family and friends, but acting responsibly in the future can reduce the likelihood of such a nightmare happening again in Maine or elsewhere.”

King’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

In 2022, like Pingree, he supported the Safer Communities Act, which provided funding for red flag laws and mental health supports.

The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine gave King an F grade in its 2024 election guide, saying the senator has made a “dramatic shift toward gun control.”

“He got it right for the last decade, but we don’t understand why he’s doing it so wrong today,” the poll leader said, pointing to a Editorial 2013 where the former governor spoke out against a ban on assault weapons.

Democrat David Costello, who is challenging King, attributed his stance to being “that.”only candidate running to represent Maine in the U.S. Senate who grew up in Maine and learned to hunt and shoot responsibly.”

He said he supports not only red flag laws, a national gun registry for “military assault weapons” and a ban on the sale of “military assault weapons,” but also universal background checks and safe gun storage.

“I also support increased federal funding for expanded mental health services, community policing and tougher penalties for gun crimes,” Costello said. “I support this comprehensive gun safety approach because I believe it is the best way to reduce gun violence,” including suicides, in the United States – and to do so without negatively impacting the right of law-abiding Mainers to own and hunt guns to shoot.”

Republican Senate candidate Demi Kouzounas did not respond to requests for comment but, based on previous statements And Reactions to gun rights groupslike Gun Owners of Maine, oppose gun safety measures.

Kouzounas supports the Second Amendment and opposes laws that violate constitutional rights, declaring that “the rights enumerated in the Constitution are absolute,” Gun Owners of Maine wrote in its testimony about Maine’s elected officials and candidates for federal office.

However, according to her answers, she would oppose allowing concealed handgun permit holders to carry in schools and believes that “advances in technology must be closely monitored and evaluated to meet the reasonable goals of the majority of law-abiding gun owners.” says the certificate.

King’s other challenger, independent Jason Cherry, said he supports red flag laws to take away guns People who pose a danger to themselves or others, but that those who have guns taken away must have access to a court-appointed attorney and time limits for hearings in which to advocate for the return of their firearms.

He does not support a national gun registry or a ban on assault weapons and argues that assault weapons keep governments in check.

“This idea of ​​banning assault weapons ignores the hard-won recognition that citizens must be armed to balance power between citizens and their government to prevent national tyranny,” he said.

“I support common-sense measures to prevent mass shootings, such as rational gun control,” Cherry said, adding that he also supports mental health resources “to focus on at-risk youth in our schools and address their needs.” “before gun violence occurs.”