President Biden called for “reasonable and responsible” gun control during a visit Friday to Lewiston, Maine, following the killing of 18 people last week by a mentally ill gunman.
“I know that ultimately consensus is possible,” Biden said in a four-minute speech before meeting with victims’ families.
“This is about common sense, reasonable and responsible measures to protect our children, our families, our communities, because regardless of our politics, it is about protecting our freedom to go to a bowling alley, to a restaurant, to a school, to a church without being shot to death,” he said.
Biden avoided offering a specific proposal, but has previously called for a federal ban on semi-automatic weapons, which have been used in many mass shootings.
Congressional Republicans oppose that proposal and it is therefore unlikely to pass.
The massacre in Lewiston, known nationally as the site of Bates College, sparked a debate over the enforcement of gun control laws already in place due to the perpetrator’s recent history of mental illness and violent threats.
President Biden called for “reasonable and responsible” gun control during a visit Friday to Lewiston, Maine.REUTERS Biden avoided offering a specific proposal, but has supported a ban on semi-automatic weapons in the past.REUTERS
Army reservist Robert Card, 40, committed the murders with a semi-automatic rifle he purchased legally in July, just 10 days before he reported to Army personnel that he was “hearing voices” and having fantasies about “hurting other soldiers.” , which resulted in a two-week sentence. stay in a psychiatric hospital.
Card murdered patrons at a Lewiston bowling alley and restaurant before committing suicide.
Maine adopted a “yellow flag” law in 2019 that allows authorities to confiscate guns from people suffering from mental illness. The law is different from more well-known “red flag” laws because it aims to give gun owners greater rights.
Robert Card, 40, murdered patrons at a bowling alley and a restaurant before committing suicide.Facebook / Robert Card
The law outlines a process by which police can, after placing a person in “protective custody,” take away their weapons if a “doctor” determines they are “mentally ill” or pose a threat to themselves or others.
If the person “presents a foreseeable likelihood of harm,” police “shall” seek a court order to confiscate the weapons, the law says, leading to a hearing within 14 days. Judges can issue confiscation orders for periods of one year.
Card’s sister-in-law, Katie Card, told NBC News how before the mass shootings the family had alerted police and his Army Reserve base about their concerns about him hearing voices, as they “became increasingly concerned.” further”.
Maine adopted a “yellow flag” law in 2019 that allows authorities to confiscate guns from people suffering from mental illness. Lewiston Maine Police Department
A police report indicated that an officer had spoken to Card’s brother about taking his guns, but it is unclear if that actually happened.
Last year, Biden signed a bipartisan federal gun law, passed after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 21 people at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that improved federal background checks for minor gun buyers. of 21 years and offered financial incentives for states to adopt “red law.” flag laws.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn