Congressman Jared Golden's stance about guns has changed after the Maine mass shooting incident, which is considered to be the deadliest one in the United States this 2023.
The Democratic representative admitted that his pro-gun stance was because of a false confidence that the American community can handle firearms without serious restrictions. Now, Golden is urging the U.S. Congress to ban assault rifles, like the ones used by the Maine shooter.
Maine Shooting Changes Pro-Gun Congressman Jared Golden's Stance
On Thursday, Oct. 26, Golden finally reversed his long-held pro-gun stance after over 18 innocent people were killed by the Maine shooter, who is still at large.
Golden said that he has opposed efforts to restrict deadly firearms for a very long time, such as the assault rifle used by Robert C. Card to carry out his crime.
"The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure," said the U.S. representative via The New York Times.
"I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine," he added.
He explained that his pro-gun stance reflected a part of false confidence that the United States was above gun restrictions. Golden added that he, along with other Americans supporting gun rights, believes that they could have full control in this situation.
But, Golden admitted that he was wrong and asked for forgiveness and support from the residents of Lewiston, especially the families of survivors and victims. He promised that he would work toward reviving the gun ban in the United States.
Golden's Recent Actions as Gun Rights Advocate
Before the Maine mass shooting, many of Jared Golden's actions prevented the U.S. government from imposing stronger gun restrictions. For example, CBS News reported that Golden voted against legislation aiming to restrict certain semi-automatic firearms in 2022.
Luckily, this bill passed the House after the deadly shootings at a school in Texas, a parade in Illinois, and a supermarket in New York.
Aside from this, Golden also opposed a House-passed bill that was established to increase the age limit for semi-automatic rifle purchases. This regulation also aimed to ban the sales of high-capacity magazines.
However, the American congressman promised that he would now work with any colleague just to ensure that a firearm ban would be enacted in Congress.