‘Common sense for all of us’: Hundreds rally at Maine State House for gun reform

Arthur Barnard, whose son Arthur Strout died in the Lewiston mass shooting, told hundreds gathered in the Hall of Flags in the State House Wednesday morning that people need to stop playing the blame game and start focusing on stronger gun control laws.  

“It’s not all about taking guns. It really isn’t,” Barnard said. “I think what’s happened here is, we as a nation, have gotten careless in how we’ve written our laws.”

Barnard was among those from across the state who traveled to Augusta for the first day of the 2024 legislative session to demand legislators pass gun reforms during a press conference organized by the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, an organization that works to prevent gun violence by advocating for legislation, enforcement of laws and increased manufacturer responsibility.

Specific calls for reform included a push for Maine to adopt a “red flag” law to confiscate weapons from gun owners viewed as a threat — a streamlined version of the state’s current “yellow flag” law, which has been criticized for failing to stop the shooter in the Lewiston mass shooting on Oct. 25, which left 18 dead and 13 injured. 

While both types of laws authorize firearms to be confiscated, Maine’s version must be instigated by police, as opposed to family or friends, and also requires a mental health evaluation from a medical professional before petitioning a judge to confiscate a person’s firearms. 

During last legislative session, lawmakers considered bills that would have required a criminal background check for most people buying guns, instituted a 72-hour waiting period after the purchase of a gun and banned rapid-fire modification devices. Each measure failed, however, due to opposition from Republicans and some Democrats.

A handful of speakers representing a variety of viewpoints, including those of nurses, faith leaders and gun owners, spoke to the need for stricter gun laws during the press conference on Wednesday. 

Rev. Lisa Durkee of First Congregational Church of Blue Hill described the current moment as a state of emergency “where we continue to treat our rights of ownership as somehow more sacred than life itself.” Other faith leaders in Maine have also spoken out about gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston. Last month, a group of faith leaders demonstrated outside Cabela’s in Scarborough to call for the retail chain to stop selling high-capacity assault rifles. 

The need to protect life was a focus of other speakers, too. People may wonder why nurses need to speak out about gun violence, said Janel Crowley, a NICU nurse at Maine Medical Center, who spoke on behalf of the Maine State Nurses Association and National Nurses United. 

“Quite simply, it’s because the lack of strong gun control laws threatens public health,” Crowley said. “Nurses know that moral outrage is not enough, that thoughts and prayers do nothing and cannot protect anyone from a bullet.”

Crowley also attributed her father’s death to a lack of strong gun control laws. 

“My father, who was bipolar PTSD, had been in and out of mental hospitals for almost a decade when he was able to buy a gun and kill himself,” Crowley explained. “The lack of background checks and red flag laws placed the gun in my father’s hand.”

In addition to the majority gathered at the State House in support of stronger gun laws, counter protestors dispersed throughout the crowd called instead for legislation to help people struggling with their mental health. Among them was Tim Russell of Sidney, who told Maine Morning Star he wants the state to hold those accountable for not following the “yellow flag” law rather than creating a “red flag” law.  

Others, including Mike Billington of Bath, said that gun culture in the U.S. needs to change. Billington, who held a sign that read “shame,” told Maine Morning Star that people need a stronger sense of right and wrong.

“Shame on people who can turn the other way when we see situations like Lewiston,” Billington said. 

As bells called legislators — some wearing orange ribbons to support gun safety — to head to their respective chambers for the start of the session, the crowd of hundreds stood for a moment of silence. 

Barnard turned to reveal a picture of his late son on the back of his sweatshirt. He told the crowd, which included those in support of stricter gun laws and a few opposed, that he understands both sides. 

“This is not about taking guns,” Barnard said. “This is about doing the right thing and finding the right politicians who are willing to do the right thing more than they’re afraid of losing their jobs.”

Barnard urged attendees and legislators to look at gun safety not from a partisan perspective. 

“We have to stop being careless as a nation, not a Democratic thing, not a Republican thing,” he said, “common sense for all of us.”