Tragedy Strikes: 22 Lives Lost in America’s Triple Shooting, Over 50 Injured, Some Critical; Attacker’s Photo Emerges

In a tragic incident, a mass shooting occurred at a restaurant in Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday night, resulting in the loss of 22 lives and leaving approximately 60 people injured. The assailant, identified as Robert Card, reportedly carried out the shooting and was found to have a firearm in his possession.

The police have not yet disclosed the motive behind the attack. However, it’s known that Card was the alleged shooter who concealed himself extensively in the area, making it challenging for law enforcement to locate and apprehend him.

The incident involved shootings at three different locations, one near a restaurant, another near a convenience store, and a third in the vicinity of a Walmart store. This mass shooting took place at around 8 PM when people were gathered with their families and friends.

Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office officials have posted on their official Facebook page that the suspect, Robert Card, is still at large. According to news reports, Card is believed to have committed separate shootings in three different commercial centers. These locations include Separate Times Recreation, Schumann’s Bar and Grill Restaurant, and the Walmart Center.

Lewiston is a part of Androscoggin County and is situated approximately 35 miles north of the major city of Portland, Maine.

The United States has the largest civilian gun ownership in the world, with approximately 393 million civilian-owned firearms among a population of around 330 million people. This amounts to more guns than people in the country. The prevalence of gun ownership in the United States is unique, as it accounts for about 46% of the world’s civilian-owned guns, while the U.S. makes up only about 5% of the global population.

As of October 2020, data from Gallup showed that around 44% of American adults live in households with firearms, with a significant portion of those households having handguns. Furthermore, research from 2019 indicates that there were around 63,000 licensed gun dealers in the U.S., selling approximately 83,000,000 firearms to American citizens in that year.

Despite significant challenges and incidents of mass shootings, gun culture remains deeply ingrained in the United States, driven by several factors. Firstly, many Americans, from the President to state governors, continue to support and protect this culture as a constitutional right. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791, provides Americans with the right to keep and bear arms.

This culture traces back to a time when there was no permanent standing army or police force to provide security. During the late 18th century, when the U.S. was newly formed and governed by the British, citizens had a practical need for personal and family security. The right to own and bear arms was thus enshrined in the Constitution as a safeguard against tyranny and for personal protection.

These historical and constitutional factors, along with lobbying and influence from the firearms industry, contribute to the enduring presence of civilian gun ownership in the United States, despite periodic debates about gun control and its associated challenges.