Most weekdays I drive my children to and from preschool on the stretch of I-295 that runs south from Freeport to Cumberland/Yarmouth Exit 15; this is the same stretch of interstate where at least three individuals were seriously injured this week when their vehicles were randomly shot at as they drove.

Guns being used in unsafe, terrifying and lethal ways has now become the primary threat to children in Maine and across the country. When guns are involved, our lives and so many freedoms we hold dear are at peril. Currently, there are four gun-related public safety bills in the state Legislature – L.D. 22, L.D. 168, L.D. 60, L.D. 1255 – and I implore my fellow citizens to not despair at another day’s news of gun violence, to learn about them and show up to support them.

While our governor was “shocked and saddened” by the shootings, I wish she’d led by example and championed these gun safety measures that the majority of conservatives and liberals agree on and vowed to help make them the law in Maine. Until then, we can’t rest on passing gun sense measures in Maine.

Mara Stone
South Freeport