Following a horrific shooting that claimed the lives of eighteen people, a congressman from Maine has reversed his long-standing stance on the matter and said that assault guns ought to be outlawed.
Representative Jared Golden, a Democrat from Lewiston, said he had changed his opinion after the massacre in his hometown that claimed the lives of eighteen people.
“I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles, like the one used by the perpetrator of this mass killing [in] my hometown,” he declared, claiming that he “was under the mistaken impression that our community was above this.”
One of the few Democrats to oppose gun safety laws, Mr. Golden begged Lewiston residents and the relatives of the dead and survivors for “forgiveness and support.”
The three-term congressman from Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which is primarily rural and twice supported former President Donald Trump, has made a significant change with his statement. The Marine veteran was initially elected in 2018 after flipping the GOP-held seat through ranked-choice voting. He has since divided his party on a number of issues, including gun control.
Golden has voted against other gun control bills pushed by Democrats over the years, most notably an assault-style weapons ban that the House, then under Democratic control, passed in 2022. However, he supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act last year, the first significant federal gun safety legislation in decades.
“For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get (the assault weapons ban) done in the time I have left in Congress,” said Golden, who could be facing a competitive reelection next year.
