Police Took Suspected Maine Shooter for Evaluation in July, Yellow Flag Law Not Triggered

Maine Governor Janet Mills speaks at a press conference at city hall in Lewiston, Maine, o
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images
AWR Hawkins

Police took Robert Card, the person of interest police are seeking in connection with Wednesday’s shootings in Maine, for an evaluation in July 2023 after he acted “erratically,” according to reports.

Card, an Army Reservist, had caught the attention of military officials after “acting erratically in mid-July” while taking part in training at West Point, the Associated Press reported. Police in New York were called and Card was taken to West Point’s Keller Army Community Hospital for evaluation.

WATCH — CNN’s Coates: Maine Shooter Picked “Soft Targets” Where He Didn’t Think He’d Get a Response, Didn’t Pick a Gun Range:

Breitbart News reported that Card “recently reported mental health issues, including hearing voices,” according to the Sun Journal.

CNN reported that Card “recently made threats to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility in Saco, Maine.”

This photo released by the Lewiston Maine Police Department shows Robert Card, who police have identified as a person of interest in connection to mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. ( Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP)

This photo released by the Lewiston Maine Police Department shows Robert Card, who police have identified as a person of interest in connection to mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. (Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP)

The question raised, considering the involvement by police, is why Maine’s yellow flag law did not come into play?

Breitbart News noted that Maine has a yellow flag law that allows police to petition for temporary confiscation of a person’s firearms.

Maine Public Radio (MPR) explained that the state’s yellow flag law had been used 22 times to take away guns during the timeframe of 2020 thru June of 2022. MPR suggested the yellow flag law “could be a model for gun control.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.