The Maine bill would require the military to use state emergency laws to remove the weapons

A bill introduced after a mass shooting in Maine would require the military to use the state’s crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to himself or others, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins , the bill’s sponsor, said Monday.

The Armed Forces Crisis Intervention Notification Act aims to address missed opportunities for military and civilian forces to intervene before an Army reservist who became psychotic opened fire at two locations in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others in October. 25, 2023.

“We have a chance to help service members in crisis. We have a chance to help protect our neighbors and families. We have a chance to save lives,” Collins said in a statement. Maine’s other senator, independent Angus King, is a co-sponsor of the bill.

This bill seeks to ensure communication between state agencies and the military service branches after criticism that the military has not been as open as it could have been with state law enforcement officials about the gunman, Robert Card , aged 40, before the shootings. . It requires the military to participate in state crisis actions, including so-called red or yellow flag laws aimed at removing guns from someone experiencing a psychiatric emergency.

Law enforcement knew of Card’s growing paranoia, and Card had been hospitalized the previous summer while his reserve unit was training in New York state. Health care providers who evaluated him said he was psychotic and had a hit list and recommended he not have access to weapons.

Military officials restricted Card’s access to military weapons, but Card still had access to private weapons at his home in Bowdoin, Maine. The military had no immediate comment.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office was asked to go to Card’s home and check on his well-being after he threatened to “shoot up” the home of his Army Reserve unit, but a deputy who tried to meet with Card didn’t know the details. about what happened in New York State or the extent of its mental health crisis.

That bill, introduced Monday afternoon, would not affect the military’s existing authority to disarm service members in a wide range of situations, Collins said. Instead, the bill seeks to close a communication gap between military and civilian forces that could have prevented the tragedy in Maine.

“We can’t bring back the friends and family members we lost last October, but we can take steps to fix the cracks in the system that led to the tragedy,” King added.

The mass shooting was investigated by an independent commission appointed by the governor, along with the Army Reserve and the Army Office of the Inspector General. Maine Governor Janet Mills previously said the tragedy “was caused by a colossal lapse of human judgment by multiple people, on multiple occasions.”

Maine’s so-called yellow flag law has been used 425 times, including 344 times since the Lewiston tragedy, officials said.

On Monday, she praised Collins and King for the bill. “Giving the military this authority will give them another tool to address potentially dangerous situations among military personnel and reduce communication gaps, which will help protect people, prevent violence and save lives,” said it.

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