‘Absolutely tragic’: Gov. Lee responds to Maine mass shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A mass shooter killed at least 18 people and injured dozens more in Maine Wednesday night.
“It’s tragic. It’s absolutely tragic. Another heartbreaking story for families in that community,” Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tennessee) said. “Just recently broken and I don’t know a lot about the details, but we certainly are praying for those families.”
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Tennessee had its own mass shooting at the Covenant School this past March, prompting some of its parents to push for tighter gun laws.
After the mass shooting in Maine, one of them, Sarah Shoop Neumann, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “We cannot live like this America, literally we cannot live. What happened to life and liberty? Why are we allowing mass shootings to occur over and over and accepting it as normal? God be with the city of Lewiston & Auburn tonight.”
The Covenant shooting sparked a special session around public safety, and for many, a hope for tighter laws – which the General Assembly did not move on.
“Our state, tragically, had our own experience with a shooting last year, and that prompted, obviously, a very robust conversation that was worthwhile and important to have,” Lee said. “Legislation passed as a result of that. I suspect we’ll see more.”
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Democrats have pushed for more serious gun reform for years.
Wednesday, Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) tweeted, “Maine is similar to Tennessee on gun laws. It’s. The. Guns.”
“Some of the proposals and ideas that were presented will come up again when the General Assembly reconvenes,” Lee said. “So, it’s important, public safety is important, it’s important that we have the conversation. We should never stop talking about it.”
Neumann went on to write on X, “My mind goes straight back to 3/27 running up the hill…the pieces of your life you’ll never get back.”
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