Lewiston, ME: America’s Turning Point

Enough is enough!

It happened again last Wednesday night, on October 25, 2023. Robert Card, a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve with a history of mental illness, terrorized citizens of Lewiston, Maine, with a Mass Shooting that left 18 dead and perhaps 13 more injured — for now, that is, with a body count that might rise in the next few days… And please, let’s not dismiss yet another tragedy like this AGAIN with those familiar tropes about hopes and prayers or “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Enough, already.

No more. No more excuses, no more hesitation, no more kissing NRA butt about “the right to bear arms.” This latest shooter lost that right earlier when he threatened to kill other Reserve members and got sent to that mental health facility when his murderous threats were compounded by hearing voices. Go ahead and argue about how the Army Reserve (along with the Veterans Administration) failed in their treatment of his illness. But I’m still scratching my head over their unbelievable lapse in judgement.

CONSIDERING HIS HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS, WHY DIDN’T THEY TAKE HIS GUNS AWAY AND MAKE SURE HE COULDN’T GET OR BUY OR USE ANY MORE GUNS?

There may not be such a federal ban on purchasing or owning guns, but the Army has its own rules for its own members. The ones in charge could have — should have — done more to protect their own, but they didn’t. Shame on them for not doing more to help Sgt. Card.

But no one — no civilian, no veteran, no active service member — with a history of mental illness or spousal battery or abuse should be allowed to buy, own, or use a gun — period, case closed.

Unfortunately, the NRA has bought and paid for way too many legislators who continue to do its bidding. So, badly needed laws that should have stopped this latest massacre were never enacted. This fascist negligence that had been turning America into some kind of Bizarro Dodge City has now turned the page to a whole new chapter of Mass Shootings.

Yeah, it’s the same old bloody tragedy; and yet, it’s also something different.

This time the shooter was mentally ill — no doubt about it. This time, the shooter extended his range to a larger area with more venues. He didn’t just pick a synagogue OR a school OR a restaurant OR a shopping mall OR a grocery store OR a workplace when he slaughtered his victims. Oh no, not this guy. He was all over the place. He was going after as many people as possible who were scattered throughout an entire community.

What’s even worse, because of Sgt. Card’s military training and background, he was able to inflict an unprecedented amount of damage in a very short time. Of course, he also used an automatic weapon that had been designed to easily kill as many people as he could target. He was also able to move quickly into other areas, find new targets, then successfully elude capture.

After leaving a trail of carnage and a suicide note, Sgt. Card finally took his own life — Thank God. At least now, all those terrified residents who had been sheltering in place and all those traumatized survivors who will be forever emotionally shattered by his shootings could stop worrying that he’d return and kill again. And yet, their nightmares might never go away…

Over the years — especially for the past 24 years — I’ve made a point to vote for public officials who felt the same way I did about gun control. I’ve elected state and federal legislators— Presidents, too — who believed in stricter gun regulations and enforcement. Nothing ever happens, though, because the NRA has a nationwide stranglehold on the majority of elected officials. It’s all about the money, but these sell-outs won’t admit it.

Instead of admitting this allegiance to the NRA, they keep bringing up God and the power of prayer after every mass shooting. Newly elected House Speaker Johnson is no exception. He lost no time in bringing up America’s dark times, then saying “during these times, all we can do is pray.”

I disagree, and so should you, dear readers.

During these “dark times,” God’s work here on earth must truly be our own. Hail Marys might bring some relief, but they were never intended to be substitutes for new gun control laws. There’s a time to pray, and there’s a time to work, Mr. Speaker. So start working.

And by the way, Mike Johnson, when you start cozying up to Trump(as we all know you will) please remember that your hero was the one who rescinded President Obama’s executive order that prohibited anyone with a history of mental illness from buying or owning a gun…any gun, and that includes the one that just destroyed Lewiston.