On Wednesday, Dec. 18, multiple shots were fired outside a Maine Mall restaurant. On this same Wednesday, I was at the Maine Mall with my daughter, enjoying gift shopping and time together. Just in recent days this has been the news:

Dec. 17: Man critically injured in Lewiston shooting.

Dec. 18: Multiple shots fired outside Maine Mall.

Dec. 26: More than a dozen rounds fired into an apartment building on Cumberland Ave., Portland.

As we enter 2025 Mainers are not as safe as we would like to believe. These “incidents” are commonplace now, with one common factor; the easy access to and proliferation of guns. These “incidents” are often a result of an altercation between people who know each other and are carrying loaded weapons, even at the Maine Mall on a busy pre-holiday evening. The risk of serious injury or death, not only to those involved but to bystanders and people driving by, and even at home due to stray bullets, should concern everyone in our state.

This doesn’t even account for incidents and near misses we don’t hear about, including armed domestic disputes within households, unsecured firearms that children and teens can access, weapons being trafficked from our state to cause harm elsewhere, and our friends and neighbors in a dark moment contemplating suicide.

We can no longer be in denial, especially after the tragic Lewiston mass shooting and we all know more can be done. I hope everyone who lives in Maine and cares about the safety of our communities can be resolute in this new year. Find out where present and pending legislation stands. What steps can you take to educate on secure storage, and work toward strengthening gun safety laws and enforcement in Maine?

Jennifer DeCristoforo
Yarmouth