In the wake of the devastating shooting in Maine that resulted in 18 fatalities, emerging details suggest that authorities may have missed critical opportunities to prevent the incident, according to statements from the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). The organization has voiced criticism over the recent push for stringent gun control measures.
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According to a report by The Boston Globe, the perpetrator was subjected to an involuntary psychiatric commitment months before the incident, and family members had expressed concerns to law enforcement about his mental health status, as per an article by Reason, well in advance of the tragedy in Lewiston.
The SAF has observed that rather than addressing these systemic oversights, figures from President Joe Biden to local policymakers have opted to re-introduce a familiar yet historically ineffective gun control narrative as a supposed solution.
Alan Gottlieb, the founder and Executive Vice President of the SAF, has pointed out the irony of the situation, noting that the perpetrator had already passed the background checks that gun control advocates are promoting. The firearm used in the incident had been purchased legally, with the transaction occurring months prior and after the family had reached out to authorities.
Gottlieb emphasized that, contrary to the assertions by advocacy groups like Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety regarding Maine's allegedly lax gun laws, the incident highlights a lapse in enforcement rather than a lack of regulation. There are indications that local Democratic leaders may propose additional gun laws, which, according to the SAF, would likely fail to deter future crimes and instead infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.
Adam Kraut, the SAF's Executive Director, has pointed out that federal regulations already prohibit individuals with involuntary psychiatric commitments from possessing firearms and ammunition. He argues that calls for new legislation in the aftermath of tragedies, especially when government agencies have neglected their duties, are not only unproductive but also simply expand the criminal code unnecessarily. This behavior, as per Kraut, reveals a self-serving intent behind the gun control lobby's push for more restrictive laws.
"Suggest" a failure by authorities?
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