The news last night out of Lewiston, Maine, was truly horrific. So far, authorities have said that 22 people are dead, with even more wounded, in three different locations around the area.
Obviously, the question of who, how, and why are the most important ones that people want to know. However, an active shooter situation where the suspect is not in custody means that there aren’t a lot of answers for the authorities to give. Hours after the reports of an active shooter came in, the Lewiston police department could do little but give a name and birthdate for their suspected shooter, who they identified as a “person of interest” at that time – even as they said he was “armed and dangerous.”
The scariest part of the press conference wasn’t the idenfication of the “person of interest” – it was that a “shelter in place” order was issued to both Lewiston and nearby Lisbon. Schools in both areas were cancelled for Thursday. The police didn’t have answers to those who, how, and why questions.
Enter Shannon Watts, she of Moms Demand “fame.” You see, Shannon Watts knows all and sees all, like some kind of crime psychic. And on Twitter/X, before an arrest could be made, before the dead could even be identified and their families notified, Shannon the Certifiable was running her mouth/fingers. The answer to all things, according to Shannon Watts, is ALWAYS the guns. Always, always, always.
This is the logical outcome of the gun laws written by gun lobbyists and then passed by Republicans. THIS IS NOT FREEDOM. We are being held hostage by lawmakers who derive power and money from making it easier for Americans to kill each other.
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) October 26, 2023
Problem with Shannon’s first tweet – early reports are that the suspect was an Army reservist who was a firearms instructor. Not exactly a “civilian.” But don’t stop her, she’s rolling.
It’s not just the guns, it’s the EEEEEEEEEEVIL Republicans. But, in strike two for Shannon the Certifiable, she deleted the second tweet in the above thread – because the vote to not institute a 72 hour waiting period was actually a bipartisan one. WHOOPSIE. It also turns out that Maine has what they call a “yellow flag law,” where police can ask a judge to remove someone’s guns. Is this law what Shannon Watts wants? Of course not, so that’s why she totally ignored it.
Also, it has been reported that the suspect had mental health issues so severe that he was committed to a mental health facility this summer, was “hearing voices,” and threatened to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine. Should any or all of that be confirmed, then the “yellow flag law” in Maine could have easily been invoked by law enforcement. Why wasn’t it? Who knows. But even as Shannon Watts began retweeting this information about the suspect, she still had plenty of blame to spread around. Why not complain that the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, could have stopped this shooter?
The new GOP Speaker has opposed ALL gun safety legislation.
He voted against background checks. Against protecting domestic violence victims. Against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Republican extremism is why America has a gun violence crisis. https://t.co/E9Rh3A2QYs
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) October 26, 2023
In Shannon’s World, there are only two things always to blame. The existence of guns, and Republicans. But one thing Shannon Watts doesn’t understand is a state like Maine.
Thoughts.
I live in Maine, north of Lewiston. Maine is a much bigger state, geographically, than most people realize, but most of it is forest and only about a million people live here. Our biggest city has a population of 68,000. Lewiston has a population of 37,000.
I was…
— Peter Cook (@_Peter_Cook) October 26, 2023
The full tweet/post is an essay worth reading, when you have the time, but this is a window into how people in Maine are feeling right now.
I love this state.
Yes, it’s a ‘blue’ state and I often disagree with the politics of those who govern it. The winters are not easy, but I’ve learned to live with them, and even sometimes enjoy the quiet that winter brings. Winter is nature’s pause button, and the older I get, the more I appreciate it.
Raising our kids in Maine has been a blessing. This is a safe place, and even though we live in a city, there are parks within easy walking distance, and the woods are only a drive away. When our children were toddlers, we could let them play in the yard with few worries about their safety. This is one of the best places on earth.
The mass shooting in Lewiston is a horror which no one who lives in Maine never expected to confront. It’s an atrocity, and the details coming out of that city break my heart. My wife grew up in a town near Lewiston. Her father was a teacher in a middle school there for decades. I’ve visited or driven through that city more times than I can remember.
I know we live in a time when every atrocity committed by evil people will become an issue partisans use as evidence to support their particular political opinions. I’ve seen it many times this evening, from multiple users of this site. What irritates me is that I know very few of those who are using this atrocity to advocate for their pet political opinions were even aware that Lewiston, Maine existed a few hours ago.
Lewiston is a city full of working-class people who have welcomed thousands of Somali immigrants in recent years and have successfully integrated that community into the life of their city. This is what Maine is and always has been. If you want to live here, we will welcome you, no matter where you are from.
Maine is hurting right now. If you are using this atrocity, and our pain, to advocate for gun control, I implore you to stop. Maine is full of guns, because this is a state that hunts. Guns are a part of life.
Shannon Watts likely couldn’t have found Lewiston, Maine, on a map until this shooting happened. Will she listen to the people of Lewiston? Doubtful. Shannon is wise, and all-knowing, so she knows what is best for Lewiston, and for everyone. She wants to ban all the guns. Well, we just saw in Israel what happens when an under-armed population is confronted with unspeakable evil. This mass shooting in Lewiston could have much different if someone had been armed and fought back. But in Shannon Watts’s world, a disarmed society is the best society.
Aren’t we just SO LUCKY to have Shannon Watts, the brilliant psychic, explain everything for us?
Featured image: Shannon Watts via Gage Skidmore on Flickr, cropped, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
Liz says: Shannon Watts- 26 thousand likes for her screed.
by comparison,
Peter Cook from Maine-140 likes
This is why we can’t have nice things.
Homestead was one of the first “test” military bases for concealed carry. The commander there tried to push through the new policy legislation with the (Florida) state’s governor at the time, since it is a reserve base it was the state’s domain, primarily. The commander in charge of base security was very much against the new policy. Even though he knew most of the personnel had to travel through crime ridden portions of Miami at odd hours to work at the base, he would rather risk their lives during the commute. Or, if there was a mass shooting on base, he’d rather only the MPs have the only legal firearms available.
At any rate, it was passed (there were some caveats). The legislation made it pretty quickly through active duty installations after (at the discretion of the base commander). Was nice while it lasted.
John Shepherd says: Why 26k likes for Watts versus 140 Peter who? Should explain it.
Why so few comments at Victory Girls despite it being better than any Salem site, instapundit or even Powerline? It is called reach.
Finally, Watts and that anti-Second Amendment crowd ask who needs a “weapon of war? Since the Democrat Party has declared war on the Jews I would say every Jewish household needs an AR -15
Liz says: That is some truth.
Still have no idea why the majority of Jews in the US have mostly purposefully voted to disarm themselves and other law abiding citizens. They’re generally a very liberal bunch. I will never understand it.
Scott says: I don’t disagree that every house should have an AR-15, but that doesn’t address the issue of “weapons of war”… HINT, an AR-15 is not, and has never been a weapon of war! don’t allow the left to redefine the meaning of words! (look what they did with the word “woman”)
Locomotive Breath says: Tragic – 22 dead. Otherwise known as the routine death toll in the Democrat controlled major cities – every weekend. And rarely are white people doing the shooting.
GWB says: Enter Shannon Watts, she of Moms Demand “fame.”
That would have been a perfect place to use “infamy”.
The new GOP Speaker has opposed ALL gun safety legislation.
That’s not true. As a matter of fact there has been exactly ZERO “gun safety” legislation introduced in the last several years. There have been plenty of gun restrictions introduced. But absolutely NO actual laws about gun safety. But Watts lies like that all the time, claiming infringements on our rights are about “gun safety.”
Against protecting domestic violence victims.
Actually, Shannon, you’re the one working against domestic violence victims – by trying to impose 3- or 10-day waiting periods on them.
Republican extremism is why America has a gun violence crisis.
No, sweetcheeks, it’s people like you who won’t help us lock away the criminals and the nutjobs, but instead coddle and promote them.
Shannon Watts likely couldn’t have found Lewiston, Maine, on a map until this shooting happened.
She probably still can’t, without the help of Google.
The real tragedy here is that the people thought they were so safe that no one felt the need to practice self-protection and carry their own weapon. Having the right to carry doesn’t do anything to stop the bad guy unless you exercise that right*.
And with a disarmed populace, you get exactly what we saw here. Or, what we saw in Israel 3 weeks ago. An armed populace is a populace that is ready to stop bad guys.
GWB says: (* This is true of speech and religion, too. If you don’t practice those rights, then you place yourself in a position of someone, somewhere, sometime, saying, “Well, it’s not like you need it.”)
Joe R. says: We should spend more time enforcing The Communist Control Act of 1954, then we wouldn’t have to listen to so many people quote these communists.
Jack says: The guy was committed to a psychiatric facility and they let him out after two weeks. WHY?
He indicated he wanted to shoot up a military installation and heard voices. Again, why was he let out after two weeks?
Liz says: Can’t remember the specifics, but I know when a person is “Brady acted” it is an emergency measure where they are determined to be a danger to themself and others. Think the time period for non voluntary confinement is 72 hours, then they have to be reevaluated…it’s not an indefinite period of time, even if there are questions about his sanity, the standard for continued confinement is pretty high.
GWB says: But it should have triggered an instant “yellow flag” action.
“Hey, did you hear Bob was involuntarily committed for going whackadoo?”
“Dang. OK, I’ll go to court and get the petition done. Find out when he’s coming home and we’ll organize it then. Also let the sanitarium know to give him a heads up so he doesn’t freak out when he sees us there.”
Liz says: Just looked it up and you are right.
Guess it’s possible the confinement was voluntary, which would change things.
Liz says: As a side note, in cases like these I am reminded of a base I resided a few years ago. A squadron commander lost his command (for undisclosed reasons, just the usual “loss of confidence” but I happen to know he was a loony). His boss gave him the choice to voluntarily get help or it would be mandatory (can’t remember if he was actually Baker acted or not).
At any rate, the medical professionals were required to keep his information private to large extent, but they did tell his boss they could not be certain he was safe for either the community or his family. But he could not be confined indefinitely. Fortunately he lived on base. Base housing is privatized and he was not required to relinquish the firearms he kept in his home, but there was 24/7 military police surveillance. Which probably prevented a tragedy.
John in Indy says: If the mental health commitment was while he was active military, it may not have been reported to the State of Maine or to the NCIC.
Usually, a mental health confinement longer than 72 hours requires a court hearing and a judges order for that restriction. If there was a court case, that judge could likely have issued an order about any guns he had.
Though he may have bought his gun(s) long ago.
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