On Oct. 25, Army Reservist Robert Card opened fire in a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine. This shooting resulted in the death of 18 people and 13 people being wounded. Card fled the scene, and because Maine is densely wooded and covered with lakes, he successfully escaped. He was believed to be. Residents of Lewiston and students of Bates College had to shelter in place.
The shooter was believed to be on the run for two days after last being seen leaving in his white Subaru after committing this horrible atrocity. The manhunt ended when Card was found dead, from self-inflicted gunshots near a recycling plant in Lisbon, Maine. He was found in a trailer in an overflow parking lot. This location had been searched twice before he was found because it was where he had previously worked. The police have reported that they found a long gun in his car, which he abandoned near a river. Two more guns were found in the trailer with his body.
With 18 people murdered, this shooting is the deadliest mass shooting in America this year. Maine officials have opened up centers for shooting survivors and their loved ones to gather and get resources, including mental health care, financial aid and more.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden went to Lewiston to pay respect to the victims. While there, they met up with survivors, families of the victims, and first responders and they were greeted by Governor Janet Mills and Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline. Biden delivered remarks to honor the victims and repeated his call for greater gun control measures, at the bowling alley where the shooting took place.
During his speech, Biden said “Eighteen precious souls stolen, 13 wounded: Children, grandchildren, spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents, bowling coaches, union workers, beloved members, advocates and friends of Lewiston’s deaf and hard of hearing community. All of them lived lives of love and service and sacrifice.” Biden urged for “commonsense reforms” and reminded everyone that this is an issue of protection, not an issue of politics.
In a briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated “unfortunately, this type of trip by the president has become too, too familiar. Too many times, the president and the first lady have traveled to communities completely torn apart by gun violence.”
Biden spoke on continuing to urge Congress to act on commonsense gun safety legislation. Progress was made last year with the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is the first major piece of gun reform legislation in 40 years, but Biden warned that it is not enough.
The day after the Maine shooting, President Biden said “Today, in the wake of yet another tragedy, I urge Republican lawmakers in Congress to fulfill their duty to protect the American people. 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.” Many political scientists believe a ban on assault weapons will not pass in the state of the congress today, because many of the Republicans are opposed to prohibiting assault rifles and other military-grade weapons.