
In the wake of Wednesday night’s shooting in Lewiston, Maine, in which 18 people were killed, attention has turned to the state’s gun laws pertaining to mental illness.Sources told ABC News that the suspect, Robert Card, 40, spent two weeks at a mental health facility over the summer after he reported hearing voices and made threats to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine.The state requires its courts to send the Department of Public Safety and the state Bureau of Identification any order for involuntary commitment that is issued by the court. That order includes the person’s name, date of birth and gender. The Bureau of Identification must also report that information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The reporting requirements only apply if the person was committed by the courts.Maine does not require the reporting of individuals who have been committed through emergency procedures but who have not yet been granted a hearing. It’s unclear at this time if Card’s stay at the mental health facility was voluntary or court-ordered. ABC News also reported that investigators recovered a firearm in Card’s abandoned vehicle when it was found late Wednesday. Authorities are testing and tracing the gun to determine if it was involved in the shooting, according to multiple law enforcement sources. Sources said Card may have access to other firearms and are treating him as though he is armed and dangerous.
In the wake of Wednesday night’s shooting in Lewiston, Maine, in which 18 people were killed, attention has turned to the state’s gun laws pertaining to mental illness.
Sources told ABC News that the suspect, Robert Card, 40, spent two weeks at a mental health facility over the summer after he reported hearing voices and made threats to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine.
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The state requires its courts to send the Department of Public Safety and the state Bureau of Identification any order for involuntary commitment that is issued by the court. That order includes the person’s name, date of birth and gender.
The Bureau of Identification must also report that information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The reporting requirements only apply if the person was committed by the courts.
Maine does not require the reporting of individuals who have been committed through emergency procedures but who have not yet been granted a hearing. It’s unclear at this time if Card’s stay at the mental health facility was voluntary or court-ordered.
ABC News also reported that investigators recovered a firearm in Card’s abandoned vehicle when it was found late Wednesday. Authorities are testing and tracing the gun to determine if it was involved in the shooting, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Sources said Card may have access to other firearms and are treating him as though he is armed and dangerous.