Maine Veterans Respond to Mass Shooting: Gun Reform Needed NOW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 26, 2023
CONTACT:
Jacob Thomas, Communications Director
LEWISTON – Once again, we bear witness to a devastating tragedy. The shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine that killed at least 18 people and injured 13 more is the 565th mass shooting in 2023. As veterans, we don’t see that as a number, we see it as a call for action, and we are calling on state and federal leaders to act now to prevent more communities from being turned into battlefields.
We are Common Defense, the largest grassroots veterans organization in the country. All of us have sworn oaths to protect our nation and its citizens, and while we no longer wear the uniform, we still honor our commitment to stand strong against threats to our communities, our neighbors, and our country.
“This is a terrible tragedy for our state,” said Perry O’Brien, a US Army Afghanistan veteran and Common Defense staff member who lives in Camden, Maine. “Our streets, schools, and places of worship should not be turned into war zones. But this same tragedy keeps playing out across our country, again and again. And until our leaders take action to prevent extremists from obtaining military-style weapons, it’s going to keep happening.”
It's time we acknowledge the grim reality: our grossly inadequate gun laws enable these horrors. We must demand comprehensive gun reforms that address this epidemic. These reforms should include: universal background checks and stricter regulations on firearm sales that close the loopholes allowing people who should not have weapons to acquire them, red flag laws to temporarily limit access to firearms for those who pose a risk to themselves or others while they receive the help they need, and a reimplementation of the ban on assault weapons and other military-style weapons that protected our communities throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Weapons of war do not belong on our streets. Period.
As veterans, we know the responsibility that comes with carrying a weapon. We understand the gravity of that power. The average citizen should be afforded no less scrutiny when given that power. Common Defense stands firm in its conviction: the time for gun reform is now. We urge lawmakers, fellow citizens, and communities nationwide to rally behind this cause. The very soul of our nation is at stake, and we refuse to remain silent.
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Common Defense is a grassroots, veteran-led organization founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as political props. Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves