President Joe Biden traveled to Lewiston, Maine, on Friday to meet with first responders and family members affected by the devastating mass shooting that killed 18 people last week. The president called on Congress to pass “common-sense” gun safety measures.
First Lady Jill Biden, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Angus King (I-Maine), and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) accompanied the president on his trip.
The president met with first responders, nurses, and other frontline responders. He later delivered remarks in which he paid respects to the victims of the attack and thanked the first responders.
“As we mourn today in Maine, this tragedy opens painful wounds all across the country. Too many Americans have lost loved ones or survived the trauma of gun violence,” President Biden said in his speech.
He renewed his calls for common-sense measures to combat gun violence in the country.
“This is about common sense. Reasonable, responsible measures to protect our children, our families, our communities. Because regardless of our politics, this is about protecting our freedom,” he said.
The president and the first lady concluded their visit with a closed-door meeting with the families of those killed in the tragic incident.
On Oct. 25, a U.S. Army reservist fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston in the deadliest mass shooting in the state’s history. Thirteen people were also wounded in the attack. Two days later, following an extensive search operation, the 40-year-old shooter was found dead.
To honor the victims, the president ordered flags to fly at half-staff last week until Monday.
“We are enduring unfathomable pain from the families of those tragically taken from us to those who are injured to all the people in Lewiston to all the people of Maine,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills said during the event.
“Mr. President, in this difficult time, we take comfort and solace in knowing that the entire nation stands with Lewiston and with Maine. We feel the warmth of your visit and the strength of your unwavering support for our state.”
The director of the newly created office, Stefanie Feldman, said federal government assistance would be provided to Lewiston.
“Recovering from this attack will be long and difficult, and President Biden is committed to marshaling resources from across the federal government to support Lewiston every step of the way,” she said in a statement.
The mission of the new office is to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts to reduce crimes committed by people with guns. That includes approaches like ramping up implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), pressing for adopting extreme risk protection orders or so-called “red flag” laws, expanding background checks, and laws to hold gun makers accountable for gun crime.
“I’ll continue to urge Congress to take commonsense actions that the majority of Americans support, like enacting universal background checks and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” the president said in a statement on Sept. 21.
