Help Elect Jordan Wood

Gun violence has touched every part of this country. In 2023, the bowling alley where I spent weekends as a kid became the site of a mass shooting in Lewiston. No parent should ever have to bury their child because of gun violence.

Maine has a proud hunting tradition. I grew up around it. The Second Amendment and rights of responsible gun owners are things I respect. But that doesn’t mean we can’t also take some basic steps to keep people safe.

Here’s where I stand:

• Universal Background Checks:
  • Everyone who buys a gun should go through a background check. Universal background checks are a just plain commonsense measure that make sure guns don’t fall into the hands of dangerous people: felons, domestic abusers, and those barred from having guns for mental health reasons. Too many gun sales happen without any check at all. I support closing the loopholes on gun shows, online sales, and person-to-person commercial sales.
• Red Flag Laws:
  • Red Flag Laws are a commonsense safeguard that will save lives. If someone is in crisis and poses a danger to themselves or others, families and law enforcement should have all the legal tools necessary to step in before tragedy strikes.
    
    Maine knows the cost of doing nothing. We lived through it in October 2023 when a lone gunman killed 19 people and injured 13 in my hometown of Lewiston. Supporting Red Flag Laws is about taking all responsible steps to keep our communities safe from gun violence while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners.
• Ban Assault Weapons:
  • Assault Weapons don’t belong in schools, churches, grocery stores – or bowling alleys. An assault weapon ban is a commonsense gun safety measure. Assault weapons were designed specifically to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. Assault weapons were not designed for hunting, and not necessary for self-defense. It’s long past time Congress passed a ban to keep our communities safe.
• Invest in Mental Health Care and Protect Our Schools:
  • To protect our communities from gun violence, we need to invest in commonsense safety measures. That means making federal investments in mental health care, increasing security at schools, and stronger community programs. Mental health care needs to be treated like regular health care. It should be accessible, affordable, and available to every person who needs it. And we must give our kids support before a crisis happens, by ensuring every school has the resources to protect students.

Mainers deserve to live their lives without fear. To drop their kids off at school. To grab groceries. To bowl a few frames on a Friday night. That’s what freedom should feel like. And I’ll fight like hell in Congress to make sure what happened in Lewiston never happens again.