The flags will be at half-staff until Tuesday at sunset. The Republican governor issued a statement on Monday that faulted politicians for blaming guns when in his opinion, the nation’s problem with violence is about people with mental illness getting access to guns.
“Mental illness is plaguing millions of American lives, but politicians don’t want to talk about it. We blame guns when our nation’s problem with violence is really about people with mental disease getting access to firearms,” according to LePage in the statement
“It is our responsibility as a society to address mental illness in a comprehensive manner, instead of attempting to curtail constitutional rights. When mental illness is understood and a plan is established, we have an opportunity to prevent the other serious issues resulting from this disease, such as joblessness, homelessness, substance abuse, incarceration and loss of life,” the statement said.
State Democratic party spokeswoman Rachel Irwin says LePage should expand Medicaid so more Maine residents could access treatment if he was serious about addressing mental illness.
The gunman at Umpqua Community College killed nine people last week.
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