Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine), who in 2018 received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, is now open to supporting a ban on “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines.
“I’m going to look at every possible option to think about how it will, how it could be used in Maine, if at all,” said Gov. Mills, in an interview with News Center Maine.
Mills was asked a variety of questions about the state’s response to the October 25th shooting in Lewiston in which Robert R. Card, Jr., killed 18 people and wounded several more.
Blanchard specifically asked Mills about the state’s “yellow flag” laws, and the potential bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
Previously, Mills had opposed a ban on high capacity magazines, but in her recent interview, she signaled she may flip flop on her long-held position.
“Nobody goes through a situation like this, an episode like this, without wondering ‘could we do something different, could we do something better to make sure that people in Maine are safe, and that they feel safe,'” said Mills.
There is no official definition of a high capacity magazine, but many states consider any magazine with over ten rounds “high capacity.”
Mills did not directly answer when asked whether Card’s shooting represented a failure of Maine’s “yellow flag” laws.
Maine’s “yellow flag” law, in place since 2019, allows law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from people they believe to be threats to themselves or others, following a judicial hearing and an examination by a mental health professional.
Prior to the shooting, Card was institutionalized at a psychiatric hospital in New York after his fellow U.S. Army Reserve soldiers became concerned that he would stage a mass shooting.
This troubling information was communicated to several members of Maine law enforcement, including at least four who were in Card’s unit, yet the yellow flag process was never initiated.
Instead of commenting on the yellow flag issue, Mills pointed to her Lewiston Commission, which is meant to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Mills’ possible change in her official position surrounding gun laws comes as members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation shift their views on the Second Amendment.
[RELATED Rep. Jared Golden’s Republican 2024 Opponents Slam His Reversal on Assault Weapons Ban…]
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) previously sided against his party by opposing gun-control measures. But following the Lewiston shooting, he has changed his position and begun to advocate for an assault weapons ban.
U.S Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), an “independent” who caucuses with Democrats, recently proposed national gun control measures which would ban certain types of guns, and prohibit removable magazines, while establishing an Australia-style gun buyback program.
Both legislators have come under fire from Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Philips), and Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent), the GOP primary candidates seeking to defeat Golden next fall.
No Republican has emerged to challenge King’s bid for re-election to the Senate.
The NRA loves democrats!
I’m considering banning Mills from talking.
Time for a ballot question on the next election ballot in 2024 to support gun rights in Maine. This will also motivate turnout to run the democrats out of leadership in Maine. The silent majority of pro2a and sportsman will turn out in droves.
Deflect from the abject failures of the law enforcement system with more laws: the Democrat way.
Didn’t work out too well for king George there queen mills
“Assault weapon” or “high capacity magazine” bans would do nothing to prevent Lewiston. The man had no regard for the law to the point of committing multiple homicides, why would he obey a law like this? It would only restrict innocent bystanders their right to have a weapon with parity to prevent a tragedy like this. There are countless examples of armed citizens preventing mass shootings being the most effective. Mills is politicizing this to disarm law a siding citizens and would make them lawbreakers with the stroke of a pen.
So Janet, I think you are too stupid to even know what an assault rifle really is and could not describe one if you had to. But you think that you can just ban any weapons you wish because of who you are? Who made you queen to rule by royal edict?
“Assault weapon” is a made up term.
You can use a car or a frying pan to assault someone.
How about banning such high rates of psychological pharmaceutical prescriptions?
How about banning illegals from coming here?
Crime has risen tremendously since she opened the doors.
Her unlimited, easy welfare access has also caused crime to go up. Do you know how many out of stateres come here for the easy, unlimited welfare?
Everything liberals touch they ruin.
…you really want to go down this road, Jackboot Janet! Democrats must’ve been born with their optic nerves directly connected to their noses. They definitely cannot see past them!
like Prohibition, the War on Drugs, the War on Poverty…..government and Frau Mills are ridiculously ineffective and brain damaged if they think another Law will make everything all better. Enforce the damn laws we have, no more Gov. Lepetomane and The Cronies harrumphing each other over feel good BS. Send Frau Mills back to Jersey!
BEFORE she bans “assault weapons”, she needs to determine what drugs Robert Card was on, including all from marijuana all the way to “legal Drugs” (medication). Marijuana has been shown to cause paranoia, and Schizophrenia in some. Those could cause a person to commit things such as mass shootings…
The bottom line on gun control for me is: Making good people helpless won’t make bad people harmless.
Jake on December 22, 2023 10:18 AM
BEFORE she bans “assault weapons”, she needs to determine what drugs Robert Card was on, including all from marijuana all the way to “legal Drugs” (medication). Marijuana has been shown to cause paranoia, and Schizophrenia in some. Those could cause a person to commit things such as mass shootings…
+1
Nancy on December 22, 2023 12:05 PM
The bottom line on gun control for me is: Making good people helpless won’t make bad people harmless.
+1
Hey Czarina Mills, how about defining what an assault weapon is first. Thats right you can’t. Stupid commie COW!
All an “assault weapon” ban will do is ensure that only the crooks and gov’t (if there’s a difference) have assault weapons.
Putting it up to a vote would only help IF the votes get counted ACCURATELY. Since the Maine gov’t seems to be full of crooks, it seems evident that the votes are NOT getting counted accurately. (We could find out, by ditching the computers and letting concerned voters count the ballots for themselves, right after they’ve watched all the ballots being collected in a transparent container, & before those ballots leave their direct oversight.)
This leftist political hack is likely too stupid to even give us a definition of what an “assault weapon” truly is. An assault rifle is made for military use and is capable of being switched from semi-auto operation to full auto operation (becoming basically a machine gun in full auto mode). AR 15 rifles in civilian hands are NOT assault rifles. No semi auto rifles in civilian hands are “assault rifles”. They are incapable of full auto mode. “Assault weapon” is a term made up by the leftist anti gunners to describe any gun they don’t like as they want to disarm us all. Google search for a definition of “assault weapon” and you will see sheer craziness at work. The leftists can’t even all use the same definition themselves. What they use is just a leftist “political definition” which has nothing to do with a technical description of any weapon. Janet wants to disarm us all so she can become queen and govern by royal edict with us not having any way to fight back. What our ancestors did to fight of the tyranny of King Geo III in 1775 ought to make it pretty clear why the second amendment is in the Constitution. Janet, and all the other leftist hacks in America want nothing more than to just wipe their muddy feet on the Constitution. They will not win in the end. “We the People” are just not quite mad enough to really fight back yet, but people like her will push us too far if this keeps up. What Card did was profoundly awful but when the military took firearms away from him and told police in Maine that, he should have gotten committed to a mental hospital for help. Our government let us down again. And Lewiston will NOT be the last time I bet.
Don’t look here, look there! Mills is deflecting from where the root of the problem and the true blame really lies – the mental health professionals, the pharmaceutical companies, and the irresponsible government and law enforcement agencies that fail to do their jobs. Not the disturbed person’s weapon of choice. The people around the mentally disturbed ignore red flags for one reason or another – Usually because “it’s not my business”.
In Robert Card’s case – He was already on police and FBI’s radar when he told doctors he was going to ‘snap and commit a mass shooting.’ During welfare checks, it was noted that he typically answered the door with a concealed handgun. But Maine doesn’t have red flag laws. Instead, they have red tape laws. They couldn’t take his guns nor institutionalize him. Not without his doctor’s say-so first.
Guns, knives, poison, cars – even a pencil can be a weapon depending on how you use it.