Yavapai News

Rep. Quang Nguyen has given his viewpoint on the Maine mass shooting incident that occurred recently, commenting on the alleged mental health problems of the shooter. "Wait, wait, wait… The government DID know about the Maine murderer before the shooting. You couldn’t get a bigger red flag than that.", said Nguyen.

The horrific event took place last Wednesday, marking it as the 36th mass killing of this year in America. An Army reservist, 40-year-old Robert Card who was also a firearms instructor, fatally shot 18 people and injured over a dozen others at two locations - a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine. Following an extensive search for Card after he went missing post the shooting spree, he was discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Lisbon Falls last Friday. According to Associated Press reports, all the firearms used by Card had been legally purchased.

Months before his deadly act, Card was reportedly struggling with mental health issues. Last summer, concerns were raised regarding his mental well-being by both his family and Army Reserve's 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment where he served. His erratic behavior included accusing fellow soldiers of calling him a pedophile which led to him being admitted to a mental health facility for two weeks post a mental health evaluation. As per Associated Press reports, by Sept. 15 last year due to mounting worries about his unstable mental state as manifested through experiences such as hearing voices and having access to firearms; law enforcement conducted a wellness check at Card's residence.

In light of this tragic incident, Arizona House Democrats issued a statement supporting gun safety reforms which has received backlash from several Arizona Republican lawmakers. "Our caucus is once again ready to pass common-sense gun safety reforms," said the Arizona House Democrats' statement as per their press release; adding that they hoped their Republican colleagues would 'stand up against the powerful gun lobby'.

However, Arizona Sen. Justine Wadsack, countered this by stating, "This is not a gun issue. This is a mental health issue." in her words according to source X. A similar sentiment was echoed by Arizona Rep. Austin Smith in a post on platform X where he firmly announced, "You’re not getting our firearms," and expressed his skepticism over what Democrats termed as 'minor reform'; equating it with making gun ownership almost impossible.