DeSantis, Kristen Welker spar over Maine’s gun laws in wake of mass shooting

NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker on Sunday sparred with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on the renewed debate over Maine’s gun laws in the wake of last week’s mass shooting that left 18 people dead and dozens injured.

Asked to respond to newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) argument that “the problem is the human heart — it’s not guns,” DeSantis said, “Well, first of all, I think this was a very tragic thing. And, you know, my heart goes out to all the victims, and it’s truly horrific. I think, in this case, there was a medical intervention, [a] health intervention. He clearly had problems. He was involuntarily committed.”

“He would not have been somebody that would have … been a prohibited possessor based on that adjudication,” DeSantis continued. “So, this is, I think an, an example where clearly this is a guy, very well trained, had a lot of skills, and then went off his rocker. There was an intervention, but it wasn’t enough.”

The suspected gunman, Robert Card, 40, was a U.S. Army reservist who enlisted in December 2002, an Army spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. Maine police confirmed Card had an ongoing struggle with mental health, which was likely connected to Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine.

DeSantis said he would like to know “why there wasn’t more done” and claimed there has been a “major push” over the last 40 to 50 years for the “deinstitutionalization of people.” The Florida Republican said he would be “more aggressive” for those demonstrating a danger to society.

Welker then pointed to law enforcement’s new information overnight that revealed they received a statewide alert in mid-September to be on the lookout for Card after he made threats against his base and fellow soldiers.