Democrat President Joe Biden has responded to the tragic mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine by demanding a ban on so-called “assault weapons.”
However, the suspected gunman, 40-year-old Robert Card, was likely already banned from owning firearms due to his record of mental health issues.
Nevertheless, Biden called on Congress Thursday to ban “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines following the “senseless” mass shooting.
The president is also pushing for other gun control measures that target law-abiding gun owners.
In a written statement released by the White House, Biden urged Republican lawmakers to “fulfill their duty to protect the American people” from gun violence.
“Work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to enact universal background checks, to require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers,” Biden said.
“This is the very least we owe every American who will now bear the scars — physical and mental — of this latest attack.”
Reports indicate that the shooting has left 22 people dead and around 30 more injured.
Card allegedly opened fire at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Just in Time Bowling on Wednesday night, Maine’s Democrat Gov. Janet Mills said during a Thursday morning press conference.
“Once again, our nation is in mourning after yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting,” Biden said in the statement.
“Today, Jill and I are praying for the Americans who’ve lost their lives, for those still in critical care, and for the families, survivors, and community members enduring shock and grief.”
Card was named as the suspect and is being sought in a massive manhunt across the state.
The suspected gunman is still at large.
Card is a “trained firearms instructor” and recently reported mental health issues.
Those issues include “hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME,” according to a Maine law enforcement bulletin.
Maine shooting suspect is Robert Card, a trained firearms instructor in the U.S. Army reserve. He was recently released from a mental health facility pic.twitter.com/KfhceeGl8h
— BNO News (@BNONews) October 26, 2023
Card is also a Petroleum Supply Specialist in the Army Reserve, having enlisted in December 2002.
Maine has a longstanding culture of gun ownership tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting.
The state does not require a permit to carry guns.
However, the fact that Card was committed to a mental health facility for a period of weeks indicates that it was an involuntary commitment.
This means that he would have been banned from owning or possessing firearms.
The ATF states: “Any person who has been ‘adjudicated as a mental defective’ or ‘committed to a mental institution’ is prohibited under Federal law from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing any firearm or ammunition.”
Biden’s anti-Second Amendment proposals would only serve to target law-abiding citizens.
By design, criminals don’t obey the law.
READ MORE: 22 People Dead, 30 Injured after ‘Mass Casualty, Mass Shooter Event’ in Maine
