Letter: Maine should lead in motion to finish gun violence

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Web page workers. Ship your letters to [email protected]

We noticed the headlines roll in month after month, every surprising us with the information of one more mass taking pictures, and prompting us to thank our fortunate stars each time it may have been us — and but by no means was. Quick ahead to this previous month: We’re the headline, we’re the bearers of the morbidly gripping entrance web page. This time, it’s a 90-minute drive south.

Most unsettling, we mark an indication of the instances: The skyrocketing pattern of gun violence has reached the northeasternmost nook of the nation — and it’s actually no shock. In accordance with the Gun Violence Archive, the variety of mass shootings in 2023 has surpassed a near-record-breaking 600 — and we contribute to that statistic. Vacationers from away beware: Our pleasant Interstate 95 billboard promoting “Welcome to Maine: the Manner Life Ought to Be” is a facade verging on a flat-out lie.

Out west, California has licensed excessive danger safety orders, which permit household and regulation enforcement to petition for the suspension of an individual’s entry to firearms throughout a psychological well being disaster. Had this authorized provision been in place for Robert R. Card II, I believe harmless lives may have been spared.