In response to last year’s mass shooting in Maine, a new bill is set to be introduced on Monday that would require the U.S. Army to adhere to state crisis intervention laws aimed at removing firearms from service members deemed to pose a serious threat to themselves or others.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine and the bill’s sponsor, announced the Armed Forces Crisis Intervention Notification Act, which aims to address missed opportunities by the military and civilian law enforcement to intervene in an effort to prevent tragedy.
“We have a chance to help service members in crisis. We have a chance to help protect our neighbors and families. We have a chance to save lives,” Collins said in a statement.
This legislative proposal comes in the aftermath of the deadly October 25, 2023, mass shooting by Army reservist Robert Card, who carried an assault-style weapon and opened fire at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and the Schemengees Bar and Grille restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others.
The bill, co-sponsored by Maine Senator Angus King, aims to address communication gaps between military officials and civilian law enforcement, an issue that was scrutinized after the Army wasn’t as forthcoming as it could’ve been with state law enforcement officials about Card.
“We cannot bring back our friends and family members we lost last October, but we can take steps to fix the cracks in the system that led to the tragedy,” King said.
It mandates the military’s compliance with state crisis laws, such as red flag or yellow flag provisions, which enable authorities to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals undergoing a psychiatric emergency.
Newsweek reached out to Collins’ office via email for comment.
Investigations revealed that law enforcement officials were aware of Card’s escalating paranoia. Before the attack, he had been hospitalized during a training session in New York, where he was diagnosed as psychotic and deemed a threat to others. Despite recommendations that he should not have access to firearms, the military only restricted his access to military-issued weapons, leaving his privately owned firearms untouched.
Sen. Susan Collins speaks in Washington, D.C., on June 4. Collins introduced a bill requiring the U.S. Army to adhere to state crisis intervention laws aimed at removing firearms from service members deemed to pose a serious threat to themselves or others.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
In addition, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office had been called to check on Card’s well-being after he allegedly threatened to “shoot up” his Army Reserve unit’s home. However, the responding officers were unaware of the severity of his mental health crisis or the hospitalization in New York, leading to a missed opportunity for intervention.
The proposed bill follows a final report released in August showing how local police and Army Reserves failed to prevent the mass shooting.
On August 20, an independent commission created by Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills pointed to police failures in seizing the gunman’s weapons. It criticized the Army Reserves for not providing adequate mental health care for Card.
The 215-page report reaffirmed the panel’s March conclusion that law enforcement had the authority, under the state’s yellow flag law, to confiscate the shooter’s firearms and place him in protective custody weeks before the attack. It also criticized the Army Reserves, stating they should have taken greater responsibility for ensuring proper care and addressing the issue of his weapons.
The commission has already held dozens of meetings, heard testimony from numerous witnesses and reviewed many pieces of evidence.
Meanwhile, in their own report following the mass shooting, former Chief of the Army Reserves Lieutenant General Jody Daniels found that there was “a series of failures by unit leadership.” The report also said three Army reservists received a dereliction of duty discipline after the incident.
