Maine Democrat who opposed gun control in Congress suddenly changes his mind — but leaves major questions unanswered

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden apologized to his Maine constituents on Thursday for previously not supporting gun control initiatives.

At a press conference, Golden called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban and, citing his previous opposition to gun control, asked his neighbors for forgiveness.

"I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war, like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime," Golden said. "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."

The moderate Democrat — who had earned an A+ rating from Second Amendment advocacy groups — cited "misjudgments" for his previous opposition to gun control, including the desire to protect his family and community.

Now, he plans to fight hard for gun control.

"For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time I have left in Congress," Golden promised. "To the people of Lewiston, my constituents throughout the district, to the families who lost loved ones, and to those who have been harmed, I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these terrible shootings."

Nomenclature issues aside — technically, "assault rifle" refers to fully automatic rifles, which are already outlawed except under special circumstances; Golden meant to say "assault weapon," which refers to scary-looking semiautomatic rifles — it's not clear how an assault weapons ban would have prevented Wednesday's atrocity.

Golden did not say how such a ban — or any other gun control measure, for that matter — would have prevented the killer from carrying out his attack. Moreover, Golden did not say why he suddenly now believes gun control measures would work.

These are important questions because — just as Golden pointed out last year — words mean little, while substantive action makes the real difference. And considering every American would like to see mass shootings end, it's even more important to ensure the government works on the correct solutions and does not just take action to say it acted.

Blaze Media reached out to Golden's office for an answer to these questions. A representative, however, did not return a response.

JUST IN: Susan Collins, Jared Golden Hold Press Briefing In Lewiston, Maine, After Mass Shootingwww.youtube.com

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