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Arthur Barnard of Topsham is the father of Artie Strout, one of the victims of last year’s mass shooting in Lewiston. He is one of the petitioners for the Safe Schools Safe Communities citizen initiative to create an extreme risk protection order law in Maine.
One year ago this month I was playing pool with my son Artie at the bar for the evening, something we’d done since I first taught him to play as a boy. I was tired and decided to head home. Artie said he was going to stay and play a few more games. That was the last time I saw my son.
Just minutes later a gunman walked in, and Artie became one of 18 people killed in Lewiston in one of the deadliest mass shootings in America.
One year later, and now I only see my son in fractured, terrible dreams about that night. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about how it could have been prevented and how different life could be for me, my daughter-in-law, my grandchildren, and my entire family.
I had never been involved in politics, but two months after the shooting I was in Augusta advocating for an extreme risk protection order law, also known as a “red flag law,” because it could have saved my son. Lawmakers failed to act. So three weeks ago, I joined as a sponsor of the Safe Schools, Safe Communities citizen initiative to put extreme risk protection orders on the ballot in Maine.
Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) empower family members to directly petition a court when a loved one is in crisis and may pose a threat to themselves or others. After due process and a review of evidence, a judge can temporarily limit someone’s access to deadly weapons. If Maine had ERPOs last year, one of the many warnings about the would-be shooter in Lewiston could have resulted in disarming him.
Unfortunately, the Bangor Daily News editorial board already came out against sending this initiative to the ballot, despite it being led by families of gun violence victims, teachers, responsible gun owners, mental health and health care professionals, faith leaders, and veterans groups.
In its position, the editorial board wrote, “As frustrating as incremental progress in the Legislature might be, some issues are just not well suited for a yes or no question on the ballot.”
After my son and 17 others were killed in Lewiston, the Legislature had the opportunity to make progress. They didn’t. “Frustrating” doesn’t come close to describing it. I am furious. The question is simple: Should we try to prevent another Lewiston by passing a law that works in 21 other states? The answer is also simple: Yes.
And since legislators seem to be disconnected with voters on this issue, it’s time for Mainers to send a message with our votes.
There isn’t much nuance here. In other states, ERPOs have been used to disarm people who have threatened mass shootings, including school shootings. They’ve also been effectively used to prevent suicide — the leading cause of firearm death in Maine, particularly for men. This common-sense law can help keep our families safe and save lives.
I was disappointed by what seemed like the BDN editorial board’s lack of understanding of what this initiative does. They argued that due process protections in Maine’s current law shouldn’t be scrapped, we should just allow family members to take action. That’s exactly what we’re proposing. Under Maine’s current law, family members can only report concerns to law enforcement, who are then limited by what the Lewiston Commission report made clear is a “cumbersome, inefficient, and unduly restrictive” process. ERPOs would empower both family members and law enforcement to start the process directly. They would still go before a judge and there would still be due process.
Gun rights and gun responsibility aren’t in opposition. Mainers know we can respect people’s right to own guns and also do more to keep our kids and our communities safe.
Nothing will bring back my son, or the 17 others who lost their lives that night. But this common-sense measure could help prevent any other parent from ever having to experience what I have.
