Victim Identified – Maine Killer: Weapons Despite Psychiatric Residency

The incident took place in July this year. Card is said to have spoken about voices he heard threatening to hurt his army colleagues. He was therefore taken by the police to a psychiatric clinic and released the next day. Just a few days before this incident, Card had purchased the gun with which he had murdered eighteen people in cold blood a few days earlier. It was a Rugar assault rifle. He also took the opportunity to purchase a semi-automatic Beretta 92-F, one of the standard weapons of the US Army.

Another gun found in the car
A long gun was also found in the shooter’s car, which is now being forensically examined. However, it is unlikely that it was used in the massacre. “Even if mental health issues were a factor here, it is not against the law to own a gun,” said Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck. Only those who have been ordered to undergo treatment by the court can have their weapons confiscated.

The 18 fatalities have now been identified. The youngest victim, Aaron Young, was only 14 years old. He had been at the bowling alley with his father Bill when the shots rang out. The father also died in the hail of bullets. The couple Bob and Lucille Violette were training with a junior bowling team, Bob stood protectively in front of some young people and was fatally shot.

Question about motive still unclear
The question of motive remains unclear. Everything currently indicates that Card shot himself, American media report. A suicide note was also found. However, this was more in the form of a “notice”, a police spokesperson told CNN: “The contents included access data for the mobile phone and the account.” It cannot be ruled out that questions surrounding the incredible act of blood may never be clarified.

Discussions about gun laws
The massacre in Maine is the deadliest in the United States since the massacre at an elementary school in the state of Texas in May 2022. At that time, a gunman in Uvalde killed 19 children and two teachers. In the US, these bloody acts are unfortunately part of everyday life. Firearms are easily available there and widely distributed.

This repeatedly leads to discussions about tightening gun laws, but so far without any results. As a rule, the push for stricter gun laws fails because of Republicans and the powerful gun lobby. President Joe Biden also repeatedly calls for stricter regulations.