PORTLAND — Larry Gilbert, a Democratic former U.S. Marshal and Lewiston police chief; and Paula Silsby, a Republican former U.S. Attorney for Maine, issued a statement praising independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler as “the only major candidate in the race for governor who supports universal background checks on gun sales.”
The statement was sent to Cutler supporters and posted on Facebook.
“As governor, I will stand with Senators Collins and King and Rep. Pingree in supporting universal background checks,” Cutler said in the statement. “Like them, I welcome the support of responsible gun owners throughout Maine, but I am not interested in appeasing NRA leadership or taking their money.
“When it comes to background checks, Mike Michaud and Paul LePage are right in step with the leadership of the NRA, but totally out of touch with Maine people on this important issue,“ Cutler said, claiming LePage was endorsed by the NRA in 2010 and “Michaud has been endorsed by, and taken money from, the NRA in every one of his campaigns for Congress.”
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