On the recordSeptember 25, 2024
On October 25, 2023, America's gun violence nightmare became a living hell for the people of Lewiston, Maine, and everyone who calls our State home. At 6:54 p.m., a man carrying a semiautomatic rifle walked into a bowling alley and fired 18 rounds, taking the lives of eight patrons in 45 seconds, including a 14-year-old boy. The shooter then drove to a nearby restaurant, where he opened fire again, killing 10 more innocent civilians in 78 seconds, including 4 members of Maine's deaf community who were gathered at the restaurant for a cornhole tournament. It was Maine's worst mass shooting ever and the tenth deadliest in American history. The total time the gun was operating was 2 minutes. That is 2 minutes of 1 man pulling a single deadly trigger, killing 18 human beings, 18 of our neighbors. This shouldn't be allowed to happen, not by anyone, not anywhere, not ever again. Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering the victims of this horrifying tragedy and in holding in our hearts the people of Lewiston, a city that so beautifully embodies the resilience and dynamism of our great State. I also ask my colleagues to commit to the kind of sensible gun-control measures supported by 80 percent of Mainers and supported by a vast majority of Americans. Please never forget, and never again. New York Climate Week
