AUGUSTA, Maine — Eight Maine lawmakers made the trip to the White House Wednesday to join 100 of their colleagues from across the country for a summit on gun violence prevention.
The discussion, led by the Biden-Harris Administration's Office of Gun Violence Protection, touted the "Safer States Initiative," which looks to curb gun violence at the federal and state level.
Wednesday's meeting was also held one day before the 11th anniversary of the mass shooting in Sandy Hook when 26 people were killed at an elementary school.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 630 mass shootings have occurred nationwide this year. The deadliest taking place on Oct. 25 in Lewiston, when 18 people were killed and 13 were injured.
Maine State Representative Vicki Doudera, a Democrat representing Camden, was part of the trip to the White House. She said lawmakers at the summit spoke about the possibility of creating a statewide office of gun violence in our state. That, along with several other efforts, are currently being explored.
The upcoming Legislative session begins January 3, and Rep. Doudera expects several gun safety measured to be proposed by lawmakers.
“I know that legislators across the state are hearing from their constituents about gun violence," she said Thursday. "[The shootings in Bowdoin and Lewiston] have really spurred our constituents to say, you know, enough is enough."
Maine Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, a Democrat, spoke at Wednesday's event at the White House and said the event was a chance to share evidence-based practices to address the "root causes of this violence."
"As we look toward the next legislative session, it is my hope that we can move beyond divisive rhetoric and work together to find solutions rooted in compassion and pragmatism. I'm confident," she said in a statement.
While conversations about guns are being had in Washington D.C. and state capitols across the country, specific legislation details have yet to be worked out in Maine.
Rep. Doudera acknowledged Maine's rich tradition of hunting and gun ownership, but said lawmakers can still take a look at current gun laws to see what could be updated in an effort to keep up with modern technology.
As lawmakers prepare to head back to the State House, Mainers continue to wait for the next update from the commission tasked with investigating the Lewiston shooting.
The commission met for the first time last month and members voted to request subpoena power from the Maine Legislature.
The group was slated to meet Thursday, but announced it will postpone the hearing as it waits for "key information", according to a commission statement.
In a statement, House Republicans said they look forward to reviewing the findings of the commission and want to know "why existing laws that may have prevented the tragedy were not applied." Members of the caucus also hope to learn what can be done to address "Maine's mental health crisis."
One measure in Maine aimed to prevent individuals who are deemed as a potential threat to themselves or others from buying or possessing firearms is the yellow flag law. The law mandates both a medical professional and a judge to agree on the potential threat before police can confiscate their weapons. According to the Attorney General's Office, the yellow flag law was invoked 14 times in the span of three weeks following the Lewiston shootings.
Maine's Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins, who has expressed support for Maine's yellow flag law in the past, is working on legislation that would require branches of the United States military to report a member of their service if they believe they pose a threat to themselves or others under red flag or yellow flag laws.