On October 25, Robert Card, a U.S. Army reservist killed at least 18 people at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine. According to the Gun Violence Archive, this shooting has been the deadliest of 2023. Card was able to evade capture after the shootings, which led to the police raiding his home. There they found a suicide note addressed to his son; he was found dead on October 27 from a self-inflicted gun wound.
Card had a history of mental illness. In mid-July, Card attended training at West Point. The commanders running the training program expressed concerns about Card after he behaved erratically and threatened others within the unit. He was then asked to get a mental evaluation, where he expressed feelings of wanting to commit a mass shooting at the Army Reserve Training Center in Saco, Maine, and revealed he was hearing voices. Card voluntarily committed to a mental health facility for two weeks during this time.
Gun law critics point to the subjectively lenient portions of Maine’s ‘prohibited persons’ gun legislature. The portion of the legislature mainly being scrutinized is Section E of Chapter 15 of the Maine Criminal Court Procedure document. Prohibited persons can be classified as -
(1) Committed involuntarily to a hospital pursuant to an order of the District Court under Title 34‑B, section 3864 because the person was found to present a likelihood of serious harm, as defined under Title 34‑B, section 3801, subsection 4‑A, paragraphs A to C;
(2) Found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity with respect to a criminal charge; or
(3) Found not competent to stand trial with respect to a criminal charge.
Going forward from the shooting, stricter gun prohibitions on all individuals with a mental health history are being called for - regardless of not having a conviction record or undergoing voluntary mental health treatment. Michael Sauschuck, the Commissioner for Maine’s Department of Public Safety, was quoted, “People were talking about him and there may even have been some voices at play… Just because there appears to be a mental health nexus to this scenario, the vast majority of people with mental health diagnosis will never hurt anybody.” Another question for concern is why Card was only provided two weeks of treatment and then released. Modern mental facilities have cut durations of patient stays as a way to save on costs - it is unclear why treatment costs for soldiers are not subsidized to prolong care.
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