Increased Gun Sales in Maine Following Mass Shooting Tragedy

According to a report on the website of the Washington Post on October 28, a gunman shot and killed 18 people and injured 13 others in Lewiston, Maine on the 25th. After the tragedy, Lexi Kerr walked into a bustling gun store 10 miles north of the city and announced for the first time in her life that she wanted to buy a gun.

△American gun stores (data map)

On the 26th, the day after the shooting, the gunman was still at large. While nearly all other businesses are adhering to shelter-in-place recommendations, some gun stores are open in response to residents’ increased interest in buying guns. Store owners said sales of all types of firearms were unusually high after the shooting.

Gun store owners say buyers cite a variety of reasons, including concerns about being targeted in a mass shooting and concerns that state or federal governments will quickly restrict gun purchases in response to shootings. Some also talked about the possibility of encountering the shooter. However, this situation has become moot, because the gunman was found dead on the evening of the 27th, apparently by suicide.

At the Northeast Gun Store in Turner City, store owner Nick Ayotte said that his store’s sales have increased fourfold since the 26th. “We see fear,” Ayotte said.

Customers lined up in the parking lot, with some waiting in line for up to an hour to buy a gun.

Customer Jordan, 25, said: “People come here when they fear for their lives and have nothing to defend themselves.”

△Photos of the suspect released by local police

According to a report by Agence France-Presse on the 28th, Maine police said that the man who shot and killed 18 people in a bar and a bowling alley and then committed suicide had serious mental health problems. But he was able to legally purchase the weapons because he was never forced into treatment.

Investigators are still trying to determine the motive behind gunman Robert Card’s massacre in Lewiston on the 25th. However, he reportedly suffered from auditory hallucinations and paranoia.

Investigators also found a “paper” note Card left for relatives containing the passwords to his cell phone and bank account. Investigators also said the tone of the note resembled a suicide note.

Card was found to be in possession of three firearms, one of which was a long gun. It was all a legal purchase, as he was never involuntarily committed to a mental hospital.

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责编：丛芳瑶 ]

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2023-10-30 12:13:00