LEWISTON, MAINE: Maine Representative Jared Golden has reversed his view on assault-style weapons after the Lewiston mass shootings on October 25.
According to the Associated Press, 18 people were killed and 13 injured in the two shootings.
The gunman fatally shot people at two locations, a bowling alley and a local bar. Police are still in search of the suspect, Robert Card, 40.
Who is Jared Golden?
Golden, a Democratic party member, is the House Representative from the Second District of Maine.
He lives with his wife Isobel and their daughter in Lewiston, Maine, where the shootings occurred.
As a Representative, he also serves on the Small Business Committee and the Armed Services Committee.
Before his political career, Golden enlisted as an infantryman in the Marines and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq before returning home to Maine.
Golden is a conservative Democrat who opposed banning assault rifles. He even voted against a 2022 bill to revive a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons. Also, he was the only Democrat to vote against a Bipartisan Background Checks Act that aimed to conduct background checks on people buying guns.
Jared Golden urges US Congress to ban assault weapons
Mass shootings in his hometown spurred Golden to change his mindset on assault weapons. He shared his changed views in a news conference on October 26, after the two mass shootings in Lewiston.
"Humility is called for as accountability is sought by victims of a tragedy such as this one," he said in the news conference.
"I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime," he noted.
"The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine," said the Congressman.
Golden assured he would work with his colleagues to pass a weapon ban. "For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time that I have left in Congress," he said.
The Maine shooting is the 36th mass shooting in the country in 2023, according to the Associated Press.
