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During her State of the State address last month, Gov. Janet Mills offered a thoughtful and respectful tribute to the victims of the Lewiston mass shooting in October, a tragedy that the community we represent — and our entire state — are still reeling from.
The next day, we were saddened and disappointed to see the response from House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, who referred to the governor’s speech as “a bunch of gibberish about Lewiston and climate change.”
Intentional or not, we believe this flippant framing of the deadliest mass shooting in the country last year — the 10th worst in U.S. history — showed a callous disregard for the victims, their families and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.
Remarks like this open up emotional wounds still far from healing. In the months since that night, our community has experienced a painful grieving process, one that we will continue to grapple with long into the future. Often, the effects of gun-related trauma aren’t fully felt until years later, and we face a difficult road ahead.
As a Legislature, we can disagree about which gun safety policies to move forward, and the appropriate steps that should be taken to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again. But the tone of the language we use to talk about these steps — and the tragedy itself — should never be up for debate.
The victims, their families, the residents of Lewiston and all Mainers deserve elected leaders who talk about this tragedy with civility and respect.
Our community deserves better.
Sen. Peggy Rotundo
Rep. Kristen Cloutier
Rep. Margaret Craven
Rep. Mana Abdi
Rep. Michel Lajoie
Lewiston