Originally published at: Maine rep apologizes for mass shooting
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It should not take personally experiencing an act of this sort to realize that prevention is a good idea. Of course, as Steve Scalise proves, even that is not always effective. Damn it, I hate this timeline!
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It seems to be a common trait among conservatives, that problems aren’t real until they see or experience them personally. And sometimes not even then.
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oof, pretty hard not to read this as “I assumed white people in a rural state didn’t need laws, because we’re all inherently good, unlike those urban born criminals…” As a person who grew up a few miles from Lewiston, ME this attitude would not come as a surprise.
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That would certainly be unsurprising; though a particularly dodgy take given the demographics of mass shooters.
The relative danger of ‘urban’ violence vs. our saintly small towns that definitely don’t actually have a fair amount of rural murder is definitely overblown; but it’s not like the existence of slums with a very high frequency of low to moderate intensity gun violence is actually a fiction or anything; while when someone grabs an AR and shoots a dozen people it’s downright surprising if it ends up not being a white guy.
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That’s exactly how I read it. I guess give the guy a cookie for finally changing his mind after he discovered otherwise the hard way, but I expect better of a Dem.
Once again, it should be obvious: no civilian should be able to have access to such weapons for use without an industrial license. None.
“Try That in a Small Town” has quickly become an anthem of irony.
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I find both his remorse and his epiphany to be superficial at best. What seems to have changed his mind is a direct threat to his personal political power. His constituents will no longer tolerate his old perspective. This is nothing more than a cheap emotional ploy so that he may remain electable in his district.
If he had any compassion or empathy, he would have had these opinions before it threatened his livelihood. This entire pivot is a cynical, exploitative ploy.
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This, and also the fact free fantasy of “because we’re so heavily armed, we won’t get shot”. That’s just not how guns work.
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Thoughts are cheap.
Prayers are cheap.
Talk is cheap.
Let’s see if he truly puts his money where his mouth is, or if the modern day equivalent of “Out of sight, out of mind” (“Off camera, out of mind”) wins again. 
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If every NRA Congresspuppet waits until a mass shooter obliterates their own neighborhood before finally standing with basic, sensible gun legislation to protect Americans (such as expanding background checks, which Golden voted against), there will be nobody left to protect.
Oh, I don’t know. There’ve been over 560 so far this year. Statistically speaking, that means one is coming to you, regardless of where you are.
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You know, better late than never.
Guy does have a tricky needle to thread in this district to keep his constituents voting for him. I’d rather have his seat stay blue than red even if he has to triangulate his statements (and indeed voting) about hotbutton issues, and if that triangulation has to change over time.
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Ah, but campaign funding and lobbying are not. This is why the TPTB got under the thumb of the NRA in the '80s, why the problem was allowed to get worse every decade since then, and why many elected officials keep ignoring it to this day. We knew it was bad when they didn’t support lasting change after Reagan got shot (or Giffords, or Scalise…). 
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I live in Golden’s district. This was nothing more than opportunistic twaddle on his part. He ran as far right as he could to get elected, and did so intentionally and kept doing so. He’s using this moment to provide cover on his switch so he can align with the party and keep getting elected, because Dem voters like me aren’t happy with him and hope to see him primaried.
He’s still a conservative asshole. But lesser of two evils I suppose. At least we have rank choice voting here so there’s more options to vote for other people without spoiling elections and handing the keys over to the GOP.
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Is it real moral remorse, or is it just a reckoning that his stance will cost him votes now?
[ETA: I see others said basically the same thing. I guess it’s just that obvious.]
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A reminder that James Brady’s (who brought us the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act) death was ruled a homicide (but no charges) due to lasting complications from his gunshot wound.
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Real remorse is followed by actions. I suspect this will not be.
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The minute I land in the UK, i see the news of this come up on my phone. First time I’ve ever traveled out of the US. Happened while I was on the plane. My family and I live like an hour south of Lewiston.
This morning, I’m in London watching my home state on BBC news. Surreal.
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asks for forgiveness
How about
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