On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “11th Hour,” Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) discussed the mass shooting in Lewiston, ME And noted that Maine has a high gun ownership rate and a low homicide rate, but the “automatic rifle” used in the shooting “shouldn’t be so readily available and shouldn’t be doing so much damage to so many people on this evening.” And that all the colleagues she has heard from have said that “we wish we could do more. How do we keep guns out of the hands of people who could do this level of damage? Why are there automatic weapons so readily available — or semi-automatic weapons?”
Pingree stated, “We’re just not used to these kinds of things in Maine. As you said, this is a very small city, very tightly-knit, college town. We’re just not used to this. Maine is a state where a lot of people own guns. This is about to be the beginning of the hunting season. We’re used to responsible gun ownership. And this tragic incident at this scale and magnitude is very upsetting.”
She added, “[T]his is an automatic rifle. This isn’t what people use to go hunting in our state. This is the very kind of thing that can do an incredible amount of damage in a short period of time.”
Pingree further stated, “[N]o one knows what the possible motive could be, or any of the issues that the shooter themselves has. All I can say is this is the kind of weapon that shouldn’t be so readily available and shouldn’t be doing so much damage to so many people on this evening.”
Host Stephanie Ruhle then asked, “To that last point you just made, there were 29 homicides total in your state last year. And at least 22 people were killed tonight. What kind of shock does that put you, your community, your constituents in?”
Pingree answered, “We pride ourselves on being a very safe state. And, as you say, we have very few homicides annually in our state. And, unfortunately, most of them are people who are known to each other, domestic violence, the kind of tragedies that happen within communities where people know each other. So, to have this kind of a mass shooting, very unusual for a place like ours, is the kind of fear that people aren’t used to dealing with. Yeah, it’s just a very uncommon event for us. And, unfortunately, it’s the kind of event that you’re hearing more and more about across the country. I don’t like to think about this, but every state is vulnerable to it. And this is just a reminder that a safe state like ours could be in the same position. I’ve heard from so many of my colleagues tonight — we’re still in Washington — and each and every one of them is saying, we wish we could do more. How do we keep guns out of the hands of people who could do this level of damage? Why are there automatic weapons so readily available — or semi-automatic weapons? It’s just hard when it hits your home state.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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