Tipsheet

The One Detail That Torpedoes Any Gun Control Narrative in the Wake of Maine Shootings

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  October 26, 2023 8:30 AM

Lewiston, Maine, the state’s second-largest city, was rocked by a horrific mass shooting that left up to 22 people dead and dozens injured. The suspect, Robert Card, remains at large. The manhunt roped in federal and state law enforcement agencies, but despite reportedly finding his vehicle near Lisbon at a boat ramp at Papermill Trail Park, Card is still missing. 

The reports initially had three sites where Card opened fire: Schemengees, a bar/restaurant, Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley, and a Walmart distribution center. It was later corrected that Card did not attack the Walmart facility. The bowling alley could yield some horrible updates as a youth bowling league was underway when witnesses heard shots. Card’s image, information, and the model and make of his vehicle have been released. 

I hate to get into the politics of this, but Democrats have already started stoking the flames of the gun control fires. That would happen anyway, but can we wait until all the details are released and the damage assessed before we get into this policy fight? We already had the information corrected. Would you like to guess which two things came up regarding the suspect that we’ve heard many times before concerning these crimes? He was known to law enforcement and had severe mental health problems. 

Card is reportedly a 20-year Army veteran and a trained firearms instructor but had episodes of hearing voices in his head. He made threats to attack a National Guard base in Saco. In the summer of 2023, he was committed for two weeks at a mental health facility:

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More from the Associated Press:

 A man opened fire at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people, wounding dozens of others, and throwing the state’s second-largest city into chaos as hundreds of police searched for a person of interest and residents were ordered to shelter in place.

A police intelligence bulletin identified Robert Card, who was trained as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Maine, as the person of interest. The document, reviewed by The Associated Press and circulated to law enforcement officials, says Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide specific details about his treatment or condition.

The document also said Card had reported hearing voices and had threatened to carry out a shooting at the military training base in Saco, Maine. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service.

Lewiston was placed in a lockdown during this shooting. Its public schools have been closed today. Not much was said during the police press conference last night. There will be one held at 10:30 AM this morning. 

But one would think Card’s firearms would be taken away once he was committed to a mental health clinic.

We’ll keep you updated.