A Maine Democrat has said the mass shooting in his hometown of Lewiston has changed his mind on banning assault rifles like the one used during Wednesday’s massacre.

Moderate Rep. Jared Golden, a marine veteran, apologized for opposing gun control in the past and urged congress to pass an assault weapons ban on Thursday as he responded to the tragedy that left 18 dead.

He said: ‘To the people of Lewiston, my constituents throughout the 2nd District, to the families who lost loved ones, and to those who have been harmed, I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these terrible shootings.

‘I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime. 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.’

Golden was one of just five Democrats who voted against an assault weapons ban bill passed by the House of Representatives last year. The senate, led by Democrats, is yet to vote on the measure, partly to avoid putting vulnerable party members in a difficult place ahead of next year’s elections.

Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden apologized for opposing gun control in the past and urged congress to pass an assault weapons ban on Thursday

Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden apologized for opposing gun control in the past and urged congress to pass an assault weapons ban on Thursday

Police in Lewiston, Maine, are hunting for the a gunman who killed at 18 on Wednesday

Police in Lewiston, Maine, are hunting for the a gunman who killed at 18 on Wednesday

As a Democrat in a red district since 2018, Golden has often campaigned on his opposition to Democrat positions and the Joe Biden administration

As a Democrat in a red district since 2018, Golden has often campaigned on his opposition to Democrat positions and the Joe Biden administration 

As a Democrat in a red district since 2018, Golden has often campaigned on his opposition to Democrat positions and the Joe Biden administration. In a campaign ad last year, he boasted about taking on Biden’s agenda as he cracked open and devoured lobsters in a nod to his state’s most iconic industry.

‘Last year, I cracked Biden’s aggressive spending agenda,’ Golden said while tearing a meaty lobster claw. ‘Now, I’m delivering on commonsense reforms that are good for America. Like lowering prescription drug prices for thousands of Maine seniors, preventing healthcare costs from spiking on working families, and opening up oil and gas production to lower fuel costs while reducing the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars.’

In 2022, he said: ‘We do not need to take types of firearms away from Americans, but instead we should work to keep firearms out of the hands of felons and those who have demonstrated that they are at serious risk of committing harm to themselves or others.’

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, one of the leading voices in congress for more gun control, said he was happy Golden had changed his mind, but wished ‘it didn’t take members of Congress to have to experience a mass shooting in their own congressional district to come to this reality.’

Golden, a retired US Marine, beat incumbent Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin in the 2018 midterm elections – the first cycle to use the ranked-choice system.

The district was carried by Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020, and Golden his seat in 2020 by just five percent.

Police issued a photo of this car which they believe belongs to Card. Sheriffs said at 11:20pm on Wednesday the car was found abandoned in the town of Lisbon, about seven miles away

Police issued a photo of this car which they believe belongs to Card. Sheriffs said at 11:20pm on Wednesday the car was found abandoned in the town of Lisbon, about seven miles away

Golden issued a written statement after the policy announcement accusing Biden of potentially fueling out-of-control inflation.

‘This decision by the president is out of touch with what the majority of the American people want from the White House, which is leadership to address the most immediate challenges the country is facing,’ he said.

‘The president should be taking action to reduce inflationary pressures; with this move, he potentially makes them worse. It is out of step with the needs and values of working-class Americans, and I do not support the president’s decision.’

Golden was also the only House Democrat to vote against Biden’s mammoth Build Back Better spending bill.

Meanwhile, Maine police admitted on Friday they have no idea where mentally ill gunman Robert Card is, as the manhunt for him entered its second day and schools remained closed in the town where he slaughtered 18 people on Wednesday night.

Card, who is described by family as ‘schizophrenic’ and who thought his hearing aids allowed him to hear people ‘bashing him’, has been on the run since Wednesday night, when he targeted a deaf cornhole tournament and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine.

His vehicle – a white Suburu station wagon – was found at a boat ramp on the Androscoggin River. Today, divers will begin searching the water for any sign of him. 

The alleged killer lived in the small town of Bowdoin, close to homes owned by his parents and his brother and sister-in-law. 

Rick Goddard, 44, who lives across the street from Robert Card’s father’s farm in Bowdoin, was outraged that nothing was done to stop the massacre of 18 people at a the Just-In-Time bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston.

At a briefing today, Commissioner for Maine Public Safety Michael Sauschuck said police 'clearly' did not know where Card was and became frustrated with journalists as they demanded answers to questions

At a briefing today, Commissioner for Maine Public Safety Michael Sauschuck said police ‘clearly’ did not know where Card was and became frustrated with journalists as they demanded answers to questions 

Ghost-town Lewiston: Schools, stores and most businesses in Lewiston remain closed today while police search for Robert Card

Ghost-town Lewiston: Schools, stores and most businesses in Lewiston remain closed today while police search for Robert Card

Law enforcement personnel approach a home in Monmouth, Maine, on October 27, 2023, in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston

Law enforcement personnel approach a home in Monmouth, Maine, on October 27, 2023, in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston

‘I heard he was in the mental health hospital in Augusta for veterans for a few weeks because he was hearing voices in his head,’ Goddard said of Card, a U.S. Army Reserve specialist, who also threatened to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine.

The senseless massacre immediately renewed debate over one of the most divisive issues in US politics, gun control, and drew scrutiny to Maine’s laws, which do not require background checks at gun shows, and have a more limited ‘yellow flag law’ instead of a red flag law.

Shocked and scared Maine residents kept to their homes for a second night Thursday as hundreds of heavily armed police and FBI agents searched intensely for Card.

Lewiston, a once-busy city is today a ghost town as hundreds of FBI agents and Maine state troopers search for Card.

The ongoing shelter-in-place in the state covers nearly 700 square miles.

Schools, doctor’s offices and grocery stores closed and people stayed behind locked doors in cities as far as 50 miles from the scenes of the shootings. Maine’s largest city, Portland, closed its public buildings, while Canada Border Services Agency issued an ‘armed and dangerous’ alert to its officers stationed along the U.S. border. 

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