Police defend response, say yellow flag law limited them before Army reservist killed 18 in Maine

Published January 24, 2024 10:16 PM

By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Law enforcement officers say Maine’s yellow flag law that allows guns to be confiscated from someone in a mental health crisis is cumbersome and time consuming. They addressed their concerns Thursday to an independent commission that is investigating a mass shooting in which an Army reservist killed 18 people in Lewiston. Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry pointed to the difficulty in balancing public safety versus individual rights and said the deputies weren’t in a position to take Robert Card into protective custody despite a warning that he was “going to snap and do a mass shooting.” Card, the gunman, died by suicide after the shootings.

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