Around 2 a.m. Thursday, our daughter called from the West Coast, concerned for our safety after hearing about the Lewiston mass shootings and the fugitive status of the gunman. While I have not yet heard Sen. Susan Collins’ statement on this latest tragic violence, I suspect she’ll also be “concerned.” Unlike my daughter’s genuine concern, Sen. Collins uses that word when she makes a statement about something she has no intention of trying to change.
As the senior member of Maine’s delegation in Washington, now is the time for Sen. Collins to stand up and lead. Not for more gun laws, as is the usual cry after an all-too-frequent mass shooting, but for effective enforcement of the laws we already have. Over the past 50 years, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has seen its enforcement power over firearms steadily eroded to the point where they are ineffectual, impeded by archaic and nonsensical restrictions.
Please call or email Sen. Collins first, then Sen. King and our congressional representatives, and demand the restoration of the bureau’s policing power over firearms. Our calls for stronger gun laws haven’t worked. This instead might be a less controversial path to actual change.
Gregg Dinino
Kennebunk
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