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DeSantis points to ‘liberal, soft on crime policies’ in wake of Maine mass shooting

by Tara Suter - 10/27/23 11:11 AM ET

FILE – Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at an annual Basque Fry at the Corley Ranch, June 17, 2023, in Gardnerville, Nev. Though DeSantis’ supporters were among those warning that the Nevada Republican Party had created rules that tilted the process in favor of former President Donald Trump, the Floridian announced Sunday, Oct. 17, that he would run in the Feb. 8, 2024, caucus and try to win delegates that help a candidate become a nominee. (AP Photo/Andy Barron, File)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pointed to “liberal, soft on crime” policies in the wake of a mass shooting in Maine that left 18 people dead earlier this week.

“[Y]ou look, a lot of the guys who commit violent crime, and yes, less than what we saw in Maine, a lot of these people go in and out of the justice system because of liberal, soft on crime policies,” DeSantis, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, said in a Fox News interview Friday.

“You do a crime, you should do the time; stop cycling people back out,” DeSantis continued. “That will make communities safer, and Biden doesn’t wanna do that.”

The shooting occurred late Wednesday, across multiple locations in Lewiston, Maine, leaving at least 18 people dead and 13 injured. The suspect, Robert Card, 40, has not been apprehended and there is an ongoing search for him.

The shooting drew calls among Democrats for gun regulation, including Maine Rep. Jared Golden, the representative of the district where the shooting occurred. Golden had previously opposed efforts to ban assault rifles, but he now has pledged to pursue them in the wake of the shooting.

“… Because of a false confidence that our community was above this and that we could be in full control, among many other misjudgments, I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war, like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime,” Golden said at a press conference Thursday.

“The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles, like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine,” Golden continued. “For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time that I have left in Congress.”