White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke about the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, that left at least 18 dead while the suspect, Robert Card, remains at large. “This is not normal,” she said. “We cannot accept this. There have been literally hundreds of mass shootings in the last year alone, leaving empty seats at dinner tables across the country and leaving those who survive these heinous acts both physically and mentally scarred.”
After referring to previous bipartisan efforts to expand gun control, and the noted success in Australia in curbing gun violence with strong laws, she brought up the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana: ”He said he's ready to get to work and to find common ground. Now is the time. Now is the time to find common ground. Let's work together to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Let's work together to enact universal background checks, require safe storage of guns, and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous individuals who have no business being armed with a weapon of war.”
