Maine representative reverses opposition to assault rifle bans following shooting

Jared Golden says ‘the time has come for me to take responsibility for this failure’ after a shooter killed 18 people in his state

US House representative Jared Golden, of Maine’s second district, has made a stunning reversal of his opposition to efforts to ban assault rifles in the wake of the mass shooting in a bowling alley and restaurant on Wednesday night, which killed 18.

In 2022, Golden was among the few Democrats to vote against a bill in Congress that would have banned the sale of assault weapons to the American public for the first time since 2004. Joe Biden has repeatedly sought such a ban and, on Thursday, a day after the worst such massacre in his state’s history, Golden joined the US president’s call.