Below are the 15 Maine lawmakers, out of 185 total, who responded to a Bangor Daily News survey on how they would use their influence to make reforms following the deadliest mass shooting in state history.
Click on each name to read their responses.
- Rep. Arthur Bell, D-Yarmouth
- Rep. David Boyer, R-Poland
- Rep. Bill Bridgeo, D-Augusta
- Rep. Sally Cluchey, D-Bowdoinham
- Rep. Ben Collings, D-Portland
- Rep. Vicki Doudera, D-Camden
- Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland
- Rep. Kristi Mathieson, D-Kittery
- Rep. Rebecca Millett, D-South Portland
- Rep. Robert Nutting, R-Oakland
- Rep. Jane Pringle, D-Windham
- Rep. Ron Russell, D-Verona Island
- Rep. Austin Theriault, R-Fort Kent
- Rep. Sophie Warren, D-Scarborough
- Rep. Lynne Williams, D-Bar Harbor
Rep. Arthur Bell, D-Yarmouth
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
YES … our gun safety laws are woefully out of date and lax with respect to gun safety. We have been told that we didn’t need to change them since Maine doesn’t have the gun violence that the rest of the country has been experiencing. Now that has changed, and it’s time for Maine to change its laws.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
The “yellow flag” law should be changed to a “red flag” to enable family members and law enforcement to more easily remove guns from folks who have been identified as a threat.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Yes
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
Top priority should be to understand why the shooter had access to weapons when he had clearly called attention to himself as being a threat to society.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
Honor the lives lost by passing new laws to protect the public from future gun violence.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
As an elected member of the Legislature, and a member of the Gun Safety Caucus, I will work with my colleagues to pass legislation that will honor the lives lost with new laws aimed at preventing future gun violence in Maine.
Rep. David Boyer, R-Poland
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
No
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
Perhaps. We need to find out more information about what happened to Card before his shooting.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Yes
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
Military response, yellow flag legislation, manhunt audit
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
Listen to them.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
I will not support any new laws that will take away rights from law-abiding citizens.
Rep. Bill Bridgeo, D-Augusta
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
New legislation addressing gun safety is overdue. I will support bills that ban assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines, that expand background checks, that require mandatory waiting periods for firearm purchases and that institute a proper “red flag law.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
More State financial resources need to be directed to enhanced mental health services and facilities statewide. I will support that.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: I am inclined to defer to the Governor’s commission at this time. The Legislature should act quickly to give the commission the subpoena power it has requested.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
Law enforcement’s response should be a top priority as well as the failure of existing laws to preempt this tragedy.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
Taking action to strengthen Maine’s gun safety laws and mental health treatment resources are the best ways that the Legislature can reassure the victims and families of this tragedy that their losses were not in vain.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
I was raised in rural northern Maine. I have owned firearms throughout my life. I respect Mainers’ right to own firearms and to pursue traditional activities like hunting, as well as their ability to feel secure in their homes. I do, however, believe that reasonable limits on guns/ammunition/accessory equipment are both constitutional and necessary as the only viable solution to the epidemic of American gun violence.
Rep. Sally Cluchey, D-Bowdoinham
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
Yes. To move forward, Mainers of all political stripes need to hold two facts in our minds at once: that Maine has a rich hunting legacy and a long tradition of responsible gun ownership, and that our current regulatory framework is inadequate to the task of protecting public safety. We can and we must find solutions that both respect constitutional rights and keep our communities safe. These solutions should include background checks for private gun sales and waiting periods which would make it harder for people who shouldn’t have access to guns to get their hands on them. We must also enact a strong Extreme Risk Protection Order, or red flag Law, that empowers family members to request the removal of guns from their loved ones.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
Yes. One bill that we carried over (LD 1498) would help protect patient access to affordable mental health care. Many mental health providers have small or independent practices with little administrative support, and private insurance companies routinely make billing for care challenging – so challenging that many practices stop taking insurance. This results in more people who can’t pay out of pocket ending up in ERs, shelters, and the criminal justice system. LD 1498 establishes a process for mental health providers to seek assistance from the Bureau of Insurance when experiencing unnecessary billing hurdles, which will hopefully allow them to continue accepting insurance.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: The Maine Legislature is a coequal branch of government and should be substantially involved in the investigatory process. However, the timing of the investigation should not prevent the Legislature from taking meaningful actions now to improve public safety. For years the Legislature’s gun safety caucus has been gathering data on policies that are working in other states. The Legislature must use that data to pass meaningful legislation this session.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
The commission needs to ask law enforcement officials what policies they believe could have helped to prevent this tragedy. It’s critical that the people on the ground have all the tools they need to find dangerous individuals and protect the public. Listening to our law enforcement officers on the front lines of addressing these threats is crucial for identifying opportunities to make positive changes.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
The best way lawmakers can support and honor the victims of the shooting and their families is to pass laws that will help prevent atrocities like this from happening again. Robert Card’s family tried to protect him and the public, but it appears Maine’s existing laws did not give our law enforcement officials all the tools they needed.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
To be effective in preventing future tragedies, we must couple mental health policy changes with meaningful, common sense gun safety policy changes. We cannot take an either-or approach, but both-and. Passing such policies will take courage from lawmakers and from the governor – but it is courage that our communities are asking us to show, and that our children need us to demonstrate in order to keep them safe. I will do everything in my power as a legislator to enact strong gun safety measures that will thoughtfully balance the constitutional rights of responsible gun owners with our clear need to protect public safety.
Rep. Ben Collings, D-Portland
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
Clearly. We should have made changes before this incident, it should never have happened. I support a ban on assault weapons in the manner they were regulated under the Federal Assault Weapons Ban from 1994-2004, with some reasonable updates. That ban was very successful. I support a reasonable, common sense Red Flag law. I support reasonable waiting periods. I know a good majority of people support these actions as well.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
Yes of course. I support a better mental health care system, which should be part of a better overall health care system that all civilized societies should guarantee. Yes, we do need more funding, but it is extremely challenging to have a real successful model without more federal investment. I also want people to be careful and not make those with mental health afflictions the scapegoat for gun violence. Mental Health has been a factor in some gun violence incidents, but overall in a great majority of shootings, there is not a a correlation between mental health and gun violence. Our poor policy on gun safety in Maine is the more pressing issue.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Yes
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
I trust people like Dan Wathen will figure that out. The Legislature needs to take action as soon as possible on many items regardless of this investigation. We already know our system is flawed and have spent years finding out ways to improve, we know what has to be done, we need the will to do it finally. On many occasions, commissions are formed and good work is done, but often they yield de minimis results, so it makes many skeptical. I hope that isn’t the case this time.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
We should do anything and everything the victims and the families of victims need. I would need to know what they are asking for, I don’t want to make assumptions before listening to them. We can never erase their pain of their immeasurable loss, the least we can do is listen with compassion and honor those who have been lost. Ask them how they want us to honor those incredible people that should have never been taken away from their loved ones. Do everything in our power to ensure this tragedy isn’t repeated. Lewiston is a special place, let’s show up for them this Christmas and keep it going after that.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
I have always supported a Special Emergency Session to work on this crisis, or at the least have committee meetings now to expedite appropriate legislation that will be ready for votes in January when the 131st Legislature reconvenes. We are moving too slowly. The more time and space we lose, the more challenging it will be to enable meaningful change in a few months between January-April. I personally want to apologize to the people of Lewiston and the entire state for not doing more these past years to make gun safety a top priority in Augusta. If we don’t take appropriate action in the next few months I will consider it a complete failure on the part of both the Legislative and Executive Branch. That includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. We must not fail this task.
Rep. Vicki Doudera, D-Camden
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
We have been trying to make thoughtful changes to firearm laws for many years and the tragedy in Lewiston has added new urgency to this work. I support laws that work to keep guns out of the wrong hands, so measures like extreme risk protection orders, mandatory waiting periods for firearm purchases, and closing the background check loophole make sense to me, as well as to most Mainers. The need for assault weapons and high capacity magazines is on the minds of my constituents, particularly since the shooting.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
I have supported bills to bolster funding for behavioral and mental health services in the past and will continue to do so, as this is an ongoing need in our state.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: I want to let the commission do its work and provide the subpoena power requested in as timely a manner as possible.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
The big question is why the perpetrator had access to guns despite serious warning signs about his mental health. I am glad that the commission has pledged to be transparent so that we all get some answers.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
A friend of mine was shot while having a bite to eat at Schemengees. Thankfully she survived but may never recover full use of her arm. She is looking to us for action to strengthen Maine’s gun safety laws, and I believe we owe it to my friend, as well as the other victims and their families, to do what is necessary to make our state safer from all forms of gun violence, not only mass shootings, but suicide and domestic violence shootings as well.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
I grew up in a family of hunters, and I understand and respect that tradition as well as recreational shooting. That does not mean we cannot set sensible limits on guns and ammunition to combat the epidemic of gun violence, a true public health emergency that demands our attention and action.
Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
Yes. Limiting magazine capacity sizes. Requiring licensure for certain types of firearms. Universal background checks. 72 hour waiting period for purchasing firearms. Red flag laws.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
We need more funding into all types of mental health care provision. This is not new. Colleagues who claim that we need more mental health care in response to this shooting are often the ones who have opposed increasing funding to those service providers in the past.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Yes
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
The Maine Information and Analysis Center wasn’t activated, and the Maine State Police weren’t involved. That should’ve been done immediately. Why the Army National Guard’s warnings weren’t heeded. Where communication broke down. Why didn’t the sheriffs take the threat more seriously and pursue finding Card before the shooting. Why they didn’t involve other agencies or notify the MIAC.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
We owe it to the families and to the entire state to create real public safety. That means better mental health services for all, and better communication among law enforcement, using the tools it has available. The state should take responsibility for its failure to prevent this foreseeable tragedy and provide long term benefits and support to victims and their families.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
True public safety means more than law enforcement. Common sense gun reform legislation and adequate investment into mental health services are crucial to create safety for our communities. The shooter had been committed to a mental health institution, and stripped of their ability to handle guns by a branch of the military. The fact that such a person was allowed to be in possession of guns in Maine shows how fundamentally flawed our current laws are. This tragedy was foreseeable and preventable. Its time to do better.
Rep. Kristi Mathieson, D-Kittery
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
Yes we need to change firearm laws we have not gotten over the finish line previously. I sit on the gun safety caucus have consistently supported and voted for meaningful, common-sense gun safety legislation including: closing background check loopholes, 72 hour wait periods, strengthening Maine’s current yellow flag law, and continued safe storage of fire arms.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
The Legislature has taken significant steps to invest in behavioral health care and mental health services. Following tragedies like the one in Lewiston, opponents of gun safety reform often shift the conversation to blame shootings on “mental health.” This is intended to distract from the real problem: that lax gun laws allow firearms to fall into the hands of people who should not have them, and wrongfully stigmatizes those who are struggling with mental illness. It does nothing to protect Mainers from a similar tragedy in the future. We need to continue to provide adequate, accessible, affordable and consistent behavioral health care for all who need it. Care for behavioral and mental health is health care, and we should prioritize it as such.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: The legislature is an equal and separate branch of government from the executive branch. We are committed to passing common-sense gun safety measures that will prevent future violence here in Maine. Right now, all options are on the table.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
This is up to the independent commission to decide.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
Tragedies like Lewiston have a collective impact on entire communities’ and the state. It’s especially important to access help when needed. There are a collection of resources for coping with the impact of gun violence that lawmakers can help communities identify and access. We need to be available to our communities, listen to what they need, and be responsive when they reach out.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
Rep. Rebecca Millett, D-South Portland
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
We are long overdue for common sense gun safety measures. A majority of Mainers, as I do, have supported implementing universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, waiting periods and an assault weapons ban. The mass shooting in Lewiston has made it all the more clear that it’s time for the legislature and executive branch to take meaningful action.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
Behavioral and mental health services in Maine have long been inadequate and have struggled to get the financial support they require to meet the need when competing with other issues confronting our state. I will continue to support making these critical investments a priority.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: I hope that the commission can complete its investigation in a timely fashion so as to inform our legislative work that will begin very soon.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
Front and center should be how the shooter was able to obtain deadly weapon while so many around him had grave concerns for his mental state.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
It is my hope that the Governor’s commission will listen carefully to the families who lost loved ones or were harmed by the mass shooting as well as the community at large to gain a full perspective of what our citizens want to see happen.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
The mass shooting that killed so many innocent Mainers and traumatized so many more will never be forgotten. Neither should the lives of loved ones killed by their spouses or lives lost to gun by suicide every year. The fact is that Maine has long had a death by gun problem and too many were unwilling to acknowledge this reality. I am hopeful that now we can come together and take meaningful action.
Rep. Robert Nutting, R-Oakland
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
The legislature should carefully consider any proposals regarding changes to firearm laws based on their own merit. I believe that we should wait and hear the report of the Independent Commission which convened on November 20th before we consider any changes based on facts which we do not yet know.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
I think that it is clear from the lack of beds in treatment facilities, the wait lists for treatment, and the numbers of homeless people who suffer from mental illnesses that we need to increase the funding for those issues or use a different approach to getting help to these individuals.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: Not before we see the findings of the Commission.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
I understand that the yellow-flag law has been used successfully in Maine dozens of times. I think that the top priority is finding out why it failed in this case and how to improve the process in the future. I am less interested in the manhunt but would like to hear from professionals if that could have been done differently.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
I believe that the primary duty of state government and members of the legislature is to assure the victims and their families that we will collect all the related facts and try to improve what we can do in the future to save others from suffering as they have.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
Many have said “I never thought it could happen here” but sadly, tragic events can happen here just as they can anywhere. Each case, however, is different and has its own set of facts and system failings. Before the manhunt was even over, the usual anti-gun folks were broadcasting, as solutions, every objective in their playbook even though few of the actual facts of this case were known at the time. A rush-to-judgement is never helpful and is a disservice to those involved and to all the citizens of our state.
Rep. Jane Pringle, D-Windham
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
Yes we need new gun laws. My husband and I have a tradition of hunting in both of our families. We own guns for hunting and skeet shooting. Our children have participated in Hunter Safety courses through Scouting. As Physicians we have spent our lives helping people stay healthy and live long productive lives. We support the following laws which have been shown to reduce gun deaths.
1. A ban on Assault weapons with a Federal +/or State buy back program.
2. Universal background checks for all gun sales and waiting periods.
3. A Red Flag Law
4. Require concealed weapon permits.
5. Support for Education on safe gun storage and use.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
We need to provide care for mental healthcare equally with healthcare for all conditions. Our current healthcare system is broken and needs an overhaul. I suggest that people look at the MaineAllCare website for ideas for how to advocate for and achieve a universal single payer health care system. We have many models around the world for better, cheaper healthcare that can help us build a better system. We just need the will to do it!
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: I am not sure. I hope the commission will do a good job and do not currently know a reason the legislature can do a better one.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
A root cause analysis should help identify ways to reduce the likelihood of this type of event happening again.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
Pass gun laws that will reduce future gun deaths so the families will feel that their loss has made a difference for someone else. I believe everyone in the state is finding their own way to help our Lewiston neighbors.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
I would appreciate hearing what ideas my constituents have for reducing gun deaths and how they feel about the ideas I have listed. I am grateful that they have given me the opportunity to try to make all of our lives better.
Rep. Ron Russell, D-Verona Island
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
Yes I do believe this is an issue where we needs to work hard in the coming session to find bi-partisan solutions. I also will be reaching out to many different constituents in the district that have many different views on what does or does not need to be done.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
I will be working to better understand our current mental health system and laws as they currently exist and will rely on information from those studying the tragedy in Lewiston for a path for recommendations for needed changes and a path forward.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Yes
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
A comprehensive examination of failures of existing laws and mental health procedures would be a good start.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
Working together across the isle to find meaningful solutions or changes that would give the families confidence that this could not happen again.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
I will work hard to give all my constituents a real voice in finding solutions that respect Maine’s heritage and constitutional rights while at the same time finding meaningful, effective solutions to gun violence.
Rep. Austin Theriault, R-Fort Kent
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
No.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
Yes – our mental health system has failed, so we need to make significant improvements. After the Lewiston shooting, I called for the federal government to make the most significant investment and reforms in mental health in our country’s history, and I believe the state should undertake the same type of effort.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Yes, when you’re dealing with the government, it’s always better to have more information and more transparency.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
Determining why and how our existing laws — which were created to protect the public — failed.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
I was proud to see the support and unity coming from every corner of the state after this tragedy. Mainers pulled together and made it clear that the victims and their families were supported. Maine is an extraordinary place. That said, Maine’s government should take a hard look at itself and the failures to protect the public in this case, and then the Legislature should act to fix the significant gaps in the mental health system.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
Rural Maine has been hit hard by the mental health crisis. It’s yet another example of how the rural areas of the state have been overlooked. I’ll ensure that rural Maine’s voice is heard as the state addresses the mental health crisis.
Rep. Sophie Warren, D-Scarborough
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
I strongly support the adoption of a red flag law, allowing for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals who pose a credible risk to themselves or others. I believe this a commonsense, proactive approach vital in addressing potential threats and enhancing public safety following the Lewiston tragedy. I support Representative Jared Golden’s courageous call for an assault weapons ban to limit the availability of certain military-style firearms. I support the implementation of universal background checks to ensure that all firearm sales, including private transactions and those at gun shows, undergo thorough screening. Such gun safety reforms are evidence-based ways to enhance overall public safety and contribute to responsible gun ownership.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
I support greater investment in mental health services. Comprehensive gun safety reforms must include date-informed investments in the coverage of mental health services.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Other: I believe the Legislature should have a part to play in any effort of Gov. Mills and AG Frey’s Commission process should it formally request subpoena powers. Of course, any input by the Legislature must be to contribute to the independence and effectiveness of the Commission and must be done in a way which does not cause the work of the Commission to be politicized.
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
Any independent commission should not be guided by the political will of any one elected leader, and I respect the will of the Commission to work independently in this regard as to the focus of its’ work between the lead-up to the shooting, police response, or manhunt for the gunman. As an elected official, I believe it important the commission produces findings which can inform future legislation and fiscal allocations so that the tragedy of Lewiston is never repeated.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
As a state legislature, we have a duty to support the community in ensuring victims and loved ones have access to counseling, mental health services and practical assistance, including financial assistance, and working with existing organizations that specialize in victim support. As a lawmaker, I visited Lewiston’s Tree Street Youth Organization and spoke with youth who have been directly and indirectly impacted by the shooting. What I heard from those young people was about the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with the affected community, seeking input from community members on their needs and concerns, and actively involving them in the decision-making process regarding support, recovery efforts, and legislative efforts in gun safety reforms.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
In light of the recent Lewiston shooting and concerns raised by my constituents, it is clear that there is a demand for comprehensive and effective gun safety measures to be passed by our legislature. In supporting these proposals, I do so because I am committed to addressing these concerns and working towards a safer community for all on behalf of those I serve. It is important to me that I remain independently-minded and rooted in the views of all in our community. I am committed to work towards gun safety efforts, to listen and learn from those on all sides of this important issue of public safety, and to do these things because I am committed to addressing the concerns of those I serve and working towards a safer community for all on behalf of those I serve.
Rep. Lynne Williams, D-Bar Harbor
Should the Legislature consider changes to firearm laws after the shooting? Give examples of your preferred changes. This encompasses any change to laws specific to guns, including making it easier or harder to get certain ones or adjusting existing policies on the subject.
We should make it harder for those who shouldn’t have them to get guns. Close the gun show loophole. Amend the yellow flag law to a red flag law.
Should the Legislature consider changes to mental health laws? Give examples of your preferred changes. This could include more money for mental health services or changes in how services are delivered.
Make services more available, particularly in rural Maine. Provide more remote services via phone and computer. Use state funds to pay for services for low income folks.
Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the shooting, although it has no legislators on it and came with no official legislative input. Should the Legislature do its own investigation of the shooting?
Yes
The commission is empowered to examine the lead-up to the shooting and the police response, including the two-day manhunt for the gunman. What areas of this case should be the top priorities for investigators?
Why did the police just leave the suspects’ home when they heard someone inside? They could have gotten a search warrant, one cop goes to get it, the other keeps an eye on the house. The police failed to do their job and this committee, as deficient in membership as it is, must look at the role of the police.
Is there anything else that state lawmakers should do to support the victims of the shooting and their families?
We, the lawmakers, need to establish our own group to determine if there is any legislative action that we should take.
Share any other message that you have to your constituents on this event.
