Some time ago, I asked Rep. Jared Golden if he would still oppose an assault weapons ban if his own daughter was the victim of a mass shooting. I got a form letter in response, touting his support of the clearly ineffective Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. How quickly he changed his mind when a hypothetical situation suddenly became an actual possibility. While I applaud Rep. Golden finally changing his stance, it shouldn’t have taken a mass shooting in his own city for him to see the light.

Unfortunately, too many Maine legislators are posting that we shouldn’t “politicize” this issue and push for more gun safety laws. The truth is that not a single one of these legislators would say, “Well, it was worth it for the right to own one of these weapons!” if it was their own child or loved one. So why do they vote as if they would? Even Ronald Reagan said, “I do believe that an AK-47, a machine gun, is not a sporting weapon or needed for the defense of the home.”

It’s time to end the hypocrisy. No one needs an assault weapon for home defense or hunting. No one.

Amy Fuller
Augusta