(Lewiston) President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Friday added a bouquet of white flowers to a makeshift memorial outside the Schemengees Bar and Grille, one of the sites of the deadliest mass shooting in the State of Maine.
They stood for a moment of silence before leaning in to hug the bar’s owner, Kathy Lebel. At that establishment, eight people died in the Oct. 25 massacre, along with seven at the nearby Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley. Three others died in hospital.
Mr. Biden came to Lewiston to do what presidents do in times of horror and grief: bring comfort to victims’ families and show support for a shaken community. But it’s a type of travel that has become all too familiar, despite a bipartisan gun safety law passed last year after another mass shooting, and despite a series of executive orders from the president intended to end the violence army.
“Too many times, the president and first lady have visited communities completely torn apart by gun violence,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on the eve of the Biden trip. We cannot accept it as normal. »
In addition to those killed, 13 people were injured in the shooting.
Joni Ramos, of Lewiston, spent part of the day tying ribbons to poles honoring the victims, hoping President Biden would see them.
“We very much hope that he sees all the ribbons that we have around the community to see how strong an impact this has had on us and how important it is to have him in the community at this time,” said Mr. Ramos.
The Democratic president has previously said he is committed to tackling gun violence in the United States. He created the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, charged with finding solutions and fully implementing landmark gun safety legislation passed last year. He also campaigns for a ban on so-called assault weapons.
At least 37 killings in the United States in 2023
The president has already visited other communities affected by mass shootings. He’s been to Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas, and Monterey Park, California, over the past year.
There are too many schools, too many other everyday places that have become places of killing, battlefields here in America.
Joe Biden, President of the United States
As of Friday, there have been at least 37 mass shootings in the United States in 2023, killing at least 195 people, not including deceased shooters, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with the Northeastern University.
Members of the community visited the memorial outside Schemengees to mourn all morning. The Bidens’ visit could help the city, but it’s terrible that it has to happen, said John Murphy of New Gloucester, who visited the memorial to offer his sympathies and honor the memory of the victims.
Mr Murphy, 70, said he was happy about President Biden’s visit, but added: “I’m sorry he had to do it on this occasion.” »
It will take years for the community to heal, Murphy said.
There were also memorials honoring the victims outside Just-In-Time, the bowling alley where the shooting began. Media and police were gathered near the site. A row of jack-o-lanterns lined the road leading to the living room on a cold, sunny fall day.
“I don’t see this problem in other countries”
The mass shooting has many residents searching for answers.
Elizabeth Seal, who lost her husband Josh in the Maine shooting, sent a text message about President Biden’s visit: “I would like to see what he has to say to our community. »
She said in an interview earlier this week that she was frustrated to learn that semi-automatic weapons had been used. “In general, I have no problem with the use of firearms,” she said through a sign language interpreter. Some people feel more comfortable carrying a gun for protection or for others it is a hunting tradition. But why do we have semi-automatic weapons that people can get? Who causes such terrible damage? »
She added: “I don’t see the point. There is no good reason for this. So I hope our legislators do something to change that. I don’t see this problem in other countries, do you? This is an American problem. »
Overall, a majority of Americans want stricter gun laws, regardless of their state’s current gun laws, according to an AP/NORC poll. This desire could be linked to some Americans’ perception of what fewer guns could mean for the country: fewer mass shootings.
In Maine, shooter Robert Card, a 40-year-old firearms instructor, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following the killings, after a search lasting several days. Authorities said this week that his family raised concerns about his deteriorating mental health with the local sheriff five months before the carnage. The man had also undergone a mental health assessment after he began behaving erratically at a training center last summer.
Several thousand people attended vigils for the victims over the weekend, and residents began returning to work and school Monday after stay-at-home orders were lifted.
President Biden was briefed on the shooting while hosting a state dinner at the White House honoring Australia. He then left the event to speak by phone with Maine Governor Janet Mills and the state’s representatives in Congress.
Mme Mills, a Democrat, said she thought the Bidens’ visit to the city would be important because it shows the country is in mourning and the state has the president’s support.
“By visiting us during this difficult time, the President and First Lady are making it clear that the entire nation stands with Lewiston and Maine — and I am deeply grateful,” she said.