Biden again demands Republicans pass a ban on assault weapons after ‘another senseless and tragic mass shooting’ in response to Maine rampage

President Joe Biden called the mass shooting in Maine “another senseless and tragic mass shooting” and urged residents to “heed the warnings and guidance of local officials” as the suspect remains at large.

He also said the federal government is not doing enough to deter such events and called on Republicans in Congress to work with him on legislation to ban assault rifles and expand background checks.

“Today, in the wake of yet another tragedy, I urge Republican lawmakers in Congress to do their duty to protect the American people. Work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, enacting universal background checks, requiring safe gun storage, and ending immunity from liability for gun manufacturers . This is the least we owe to every American who will now bear the scars – physical and mental – of this latest attack.”

At least 18 people were killed in Maine Wednesday night during the mass shooting at Sparetime Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston. And according to Maine Governor Janet Mills, 13 people were injured.

Biden walked out of the state dinner for Australia on Wednesday evening to be briefed by his advisers on the latest mass shooting.

He also called Maine officials — Governor Janet Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Representative Jared Golden — to offer federal aid.

The president also left the state dinner early, shortly after 10 p.m. Biden has used his executive power to combat gun violence as legislative efforts have stalled on Capitol Hill.

In 2022, Congress passed major gun legislation, although it did not include all the things Biden had pushed for. It expanded background checks and provided millions of dollars for mental health care and school safety initiatives.

Biden has advocated reinstating the national assault weapons ban, but with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and Democrats in control of the Senate, passing legislation on Capitol Hill is a difficult prospect.

In addition to his Thursday statement, Biden ordered flags at the White House and federal buildings to be at half-staff until Oct. 30.

Mills said she has spoken about the shooting twice with President Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris.

Other officials expressed support for the victims and their families with Republican statements focused on prayers.

New House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “our hearts go out to everyone involved.”

“This is a dark time in America. We have a lot of problems and we are very hopeful and prayerful. Prayer is appropriate at a time like this,” he told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday morning.

‘So that is the statement this morning on behalf of the entire House of Representatives. Everyone wants this to end, and I’ll leave it at that.’

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called for the suspect to be brought to trial.

“I was devastated when I heard the news of a fatal shooting in Lewiston, Maine last night. “I know the entire Senate stands with our colleagues, Senator Collins and Senator King, as they help their state formulate its response,” he said.

“We pray especially for the victims of this senseless violence, for their families and for the law enforcement personnel who are working tirelessly to save lives and bring the suspect to justice.”

The suspect remained at large overnight, leading to a massive manhunt and lockdown across the state.

Police have named Robert Card, 40, a former Army reserve firearms instructor, as a person of interest. Card is from Bowdoin and his car was found abandoned in Lisbon shortly after the shooting.

The FBI, ATF and U.S. Marshals are providing investigative support and victim services in connection with the shootings in Maine, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Thursday.

“I am heartbroken for those who have lost loved ones, for those who were injured and for the entire Lewiston community,” he said. “No community should have to endure the horrific mass shootings that have become routine in our country.”

Author Stephen King responded to the shooting in a pair of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday morning.

“The shootings happened less than 50 miles from where I live. I went to high school in Lisbon. They’re the rapid-fire killing machines, folks. This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder,” he wrote.

Maine does not require a permit to carry guns, and the state has a long-standing culture of gun ownership tied to hunting and shooting traditions.

The gunman used an AR-15-style rifle to open fire at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley around 7 p.m. Wednesday before targeting Schemengees Bar and Grille, about four miles away.

The suspect is “considered armed and dangerous,” Mills said at a news conference Thursday morning.

The shooting in the state’s second-largest city is the 36th mass murder in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

A police bulletin describes the suspect, Card, as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training center in Saco, Maine.

The document, which was distributed to law enforcement officials, stated that Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.

It did not provide details of his treatment or condition, but said Card reported hearing “voices and threats to shoot up the military base.”