Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Month Ago, Maine Police Tried To Do Mental Health Check On Gunman
AP: Maine Police Were Alerted Weeks Ago About Shooter’s Threats
Two local law enforcement chiefs told The Associated Press that a statewide awareness alert was sent in mid-September to be on the lookout for Robert Card after the firearms instructor made threats against his base and fellow soldiers. But after stepped-up patrols of the base and a visit to Card’s home – neither of which turned up any sign of him – they moved on. “We added extra patrols, we did that for about two weeks. ... The guy never showed up,” said Jack Clements, the police chief in Saco, home to the U.S. Army Reserve base where Card trained. (Condon and Mustian, 10/28)
CNN: Cops Were Sent To Maine Gunman’s Home Weeks Before Massacres Amid Concern He ‘Is Going To Snap And Commit A Mass Shooting’
The Maine National Guard asked local police to check on the reservist who killed 18 people after a soldier became concerned he would “snap and commit a mass shooting,” according to information shared with CNN. Officers from the Sagadahoc County and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Offices responded and tried to contact the man on September 16, less than six weeks before Wednesday’s massacres in a bowling alley and a bar, documents say, according to a law enforcement source. (Prokupecz, Morales, Tran and Clarke, 10/29)
The New York Times: Maine Gunman Disclosed He Had Mental Health Issues, Gun Shop Owner Says
Nearly three months before Robert R. Card II fatally shot 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, a gun shop declined to let him complete his purchase of a firearm silencer after he disclosed on a form that he had mental health issues, the shop’s owner said in an interview Sunday. On Aug. 5, Mr. Card, 40, went to pick up a silencer from Coastal Defense Firearms in the neighboring town of Auburn, said Rick LaChapelle, the gun shop owner. Mr. LaChapelle said Mr. Card had bought the silencer — a device that quiets gun shots that is also known as a suppressor — from another store, and that store sent it to Coastal Defense Firearms for pickup. (Marcius, 10/29)
Bangor Daily News: Accused Shooter’s NY Mental Health Evaluation Wouldn’t Trigger Maine ‘Yellow Flag’ Law
The suspect in the Lewiston mass shootings had a mental health evaluation this past summer in New York, but that alone would not have triggered a Maine law restricting his access to guns. Maine’s “yellow flag” law, enacted in 2020, created a process by which police can temporarily confiscate guns from someone deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. The process involves police taking someone into protective custody, and then getting a medical professional and a judge to agree that the person poses a threat to either themselves or others. (Trotter and Weidmayer, 10/27)
Also —
Axios: Speaker Johnson On Shootings: "Problem Is The Human Heart, Not Guns"
New House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Fox News' Sean Hannity in his first interview as speaker that now is not the time to discuss legislation to address the scourge of mass shootings, adding: "The problem is the human heart, not guns." (Lawler, 10/27)
Politico: White House Hits Johnson Over Claiming Gun Violence Was A Matter Of The ‘Heart’
The Biden administration hit back Friday on Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent comments that placed blame for mass shootings in the United States on Americans’ “hearts,” calling the remarks “offensive.” In a statement, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the administration “absolutely” rejected “the offensive accusation that gun crime is uniquely high in the United States because of Americans’ ‘hearts.’” “Gun crime is uniquely high in the United States because congressional Republicans have spent decades choosing the gun industry’s lobbyists over the lives of innocent Americans,” Bates added. (Haberkorn, 10/27)
More on the gun violence epidemic —
The Washington Post: The Louisville Bank Shooter Bought A Gun Despite Struggles With Mental Health
Six months after Louisville bank employee killed five coworkers and wounded eight others, survivors, victims’ families and his parents wonder why it was so easy for a troubled young man to get a rifle. Some are planning to sue the gunmaker. (Klemko, 10/30)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Mass Shootings Can Affect Kids' Mental Health. Here Are Some Ways To Respond
Many parents and caregivers are struggling to explain the recent mass shooting in Maine to their children. But mental health practitioners say there are steps they can take to support young people through difficult moments like this. Professionals recommend limiting, or at least closely monitoring, kids’ media consumption. But it’s also important for adults to monitor their own reactions. (Richardson, 10/27)
The Texas Tribune: Gun Fatalities Now Leading Cause Of Death For Texas Youths
Yosha Hamilton was frying some pickles in the kitchen one Tuesday evening when she caught a quick glimpse of her son Shane outside. Before the two could catch up about their day, the teen scurried off to a friend’s home. Hamilton didn’t take it personally. She figured Shane, who’d turned 16 just four days earlier, would be home soon. She also didn’t give too much thought to a rat-tat-tat of gunfire that cracked the dark, cool air outside a few minutes later. There’s always gunfire, she thought. A moment later, Shane collapsed at the front door and was bleeding from gunshot wounds. It was the last time Hamilton would see her son alive. (Serrano and Webb, 10/30)
