Maine representative reverses opposition to assault rifle bans following shooting

Democrat Jared Golden says the time has come for me to take responsibility for this failure' after shooter killed 18 people in 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 in Lewiston 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.