On Thursday, October 26th, a man named Robert Card shot and killed 18 individuals, injuring an additional 13. Hundreds of law enforcement officials scoured nearby communities in Maine as the shooter was armed and dangerous. Hundreds of residents found shelter in their homes as the police continued to search for the suspect. Home and community lockdowns extended 50 miles from the site of the shooting.
The day after the shooting, law enforcement officials surrounded the suspect’s home. Police called for the suspect to surrender, but no one was inside the home. Police found the suspect later that night, dead in the woods, from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot.
This is a tight-knit community, and the shooting has had devastating impacts on its residents. Maine Senator Susan Collins stated that “[t]his heinous attack, which has robbed the lives of at least 18 Mainers and injured so many more, [is the] worst mass shooting that the state of Maine has ever experienced — and could ever imagine.”
Representative Jared Golden stated, “I have opposed calls to ban deadly weapons of war, like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime. The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing.”
This deadly and tragic shooting serves as an example of how dangerous assault weapons can be, emphasizing the importance of gun control in society.
By Justin Goldberg