‘Obligation to keep the American people safe’: Biden calls for action on gun violence

Why Robert Card, 40, shot and killed 18 and wounded 13 at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, remains unclear.

His body was found inside a recycling facility box trailer in Lisbon, Maine, on Friday after a 48-hour search.

And details are emerging that authorities were aware of warning signs regarding Card. According to CNN, a law enforcement source said Card, a U.S. Army reservist and certified firearms instructor, had just been fired from the recycling center. The Maine National Guard had asked local police to check on Card after a soldier expressed concern he would “snap and commit a mass shooting.”

On September 16, 2023, officers from the Sagadahoc County and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Offices responded and tried to contact Card.

Nearly three months before the mass shooting at the bowling alley, Card attempted to buy a firearm silencer from Coastal Defense Firearms in Auburn, Maine, but the owner refused to complete the purchase after Card disclosed on a form that he had mental health issues, The New York Times reported.

Card’s social media is under review by authorities as they search for a motive and work to establish a timeline leading to his death.

A series of shootings this past weekend resulted in at least 12 more Americans dead and dozens wounded in several states. The Lewiston, Maine shooting is among at least 581 mass shootings recorded in 2023 in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

An April 2023 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that nearly one in five American adults has lost a family member by gun, including by homicide or suicide.

“Americans should not have to live like this,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday after Card was found dead. “I once again call on Republicans in Congress to fulfill their obligation to keep the American people safe. Until that day comes, I will continue to do everything in my power to end this gun violence epidemic. The Lewiston community — and all Americans — deserve nothing less.”