SABATTUS, Maine — A man who once pushed the town to adopt a law requiring every household to own a gun and ammo, and who is now running for selectman, has posted the comment “Shoot the N*****” atop a picture of President Barack Obama on Facebook.

Sabattus police are investigating and have alerted federal authorities, according to a written statement from Town Manager Andrew Gilmore.

David Marsters’ post is dated Aug. 23. Marsters, a retired police officer from Massachusetts, has taken out paperwork to run for one of two selectmen seats in November.

When people in the Facebook thread reacted to his comment and admonished him, Marsters asked if one is a “democrat” and wrote of Obama, “He is not a legal president” in response to a comment that “Our 1st Amendment doesn’t give us the right to shoot presidents.”

“If these statements were indeed made by Mr. Marsters and that is proven during this investigation, I need to clearly state that I am deeply concerned, appalled, and frankly dumbfounded as to why he or anyone would declare such a thing, let alone print it for the world to see,” Gilmore said.

Gilmore and Police Chief Anthony Ward were alerted to the post by several residents. Marsters serves on several town committees.

He has yet to turn in his nomination papers for the selectmen’s seat, Gilmore said.

Facebook users have to be accepted as a “friend,” or be a friend of a friend, to view the comments. By Tuesday morning, there were more than a dozen comments on Marsters’ original post (see accompanying image).

Marsters could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning.

Back in March, Marsters proposed a new law in town that would require heads of households to own guns to “provide and protect safety of the city.”

At the time, he told the Sun Journal that after some break-ins in the area, he “threatened neighbors” who were “druggies.” “I forced certain kids to move,” Masters said, and that helped end the break-ins.

Selectmen turned down Marsters’ proposal.

At town meeting in June, voters approved a watered-down version of that original proposal, however, passing a measure that would block Sabattus from adopting policies or ordinances that restrict the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

This story will be updated.