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Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Advertisement Close The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness OpinionsColumns Editorials Guest opinions Cartoons Submit a guest opinion Today's Opinions newsletter OpinionsColumns Editorials Guest opinions Cartoons Submit a guest opinion Today's Opinions newsletter OPINION THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO THE MAINE MASS SHOOTING By Kate Woodsome Writer, producer, director|AddFollow October 27, 2023 at 4:07 p.m. EDT (Petula Dvorak/The Washington Post) Listen 4 min Share Comment on this storyComment Add to your saved stories Save Growing up in Portland, I remember thinking of Lewiston, about 35 miles up the road, as an old mill town of gritty Mainers who had to deal with the poverty, crime and lead paint that remained after the jobs disappeared. Make sense of the news fast with Opinions' daily newsletterArrowRight Since I moved away, Lewiston has written a new story for itself. Somali immigrants have brought new vibrancy to my old, White state. Federal money has rehabilitated the downtown. New businesses and artists have decided the city on the Androscoggin River is a beautiful place to be. In one night, one person with a gun changed everything. Maine is reeling after the shooter opened fire at a bowling alley, and then a bar and grill, killing at least 18 people. The suspect, an Army reservist, reportedly had been treated in a mental health facility for two weeks this summer. Story continues below advertisement After the Wednesday attack, gun rights advocates will focus on mental illness. Gun-control advocates will focus on guns. What the country should focus on is supporting the survivors. To do this, we need to understand the empty spaces that gun violence creates. Advertisement People go missing from homes and schools and friendships. A sense of safety and security vanishes. In the void, fear, grief and rage can take their place. All too often, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder move in. I learned the phrase “empty space” from Jessica Abell, a pastor in the Denver area. We met when I was covering a sit-in to ban guns in June at the Colorado Capitol. As part of her ministry, she has comforted folks dying from chronic illness and has described their deaths as “tragic but beautiful." Story continues below advertisement Shooting deaths are different. Follow this authorKate Woodsome's opinions Follow Seeing them happen again and again in Colorado, Abell has learned that gun violence is so quick and impossible to prepare for that it radically and rapidly changes the lives not only of the victims’ loved ones but also of the people “on the fringe.” The school administrators, doctors and chaplains. The men and women working at the restaurant and bowling alley in Lewiston that night. Advertisement “We don’t really know how to address the empty spaces, so we pretend they aren’t there and hope they’re going to scar over,” she told me. These scars look different for different people. Some cover their anger, heartbreak and even guilt by arming up with weapons or emotional defenses. They might withdraw from activities because they’re too overwhelmed to explain what they’re feeling, or don’t want to hear what others are experiencing. Story continues below advertisement Gun violence survivors have told me they’ve become isolated and alienated because they wanted to talk about the trauma, while their friends just wanted to move on. People grieve and heal in different ways on different timelines. There isn’t a simple solution to fix us all at once. But there is something that can keep us individually and collectively from falling further apart. Advertisement Community. It fills the space. None of us should endure tragedy on our own. Funerals and memorial services allow us to come together to grieve. When they’re over, though, friendship, civic engagement — realizing you’re not alone — stock the empty space with humanity in the months and years ahead. Story continues below advertisement This doesn’t mean that everyone affected needs to join a sharing circle. It means that the community, our bullet-ridden country, needs to acknowledge the terror that gun violence sows. This allows survivors to understand why they might jump at loud noises, have a short temper or feel hopeless. A community that allows room for suffering allows room for healing. Lewiston will not be the same after this shooting. But it will, slowly, recover and write a new chapter that, sadly, reflects a little more of the American story. Advertisement Resilience defines Mainers, the old and the new. We have endured economic depression — and the addiction and poor health that come with it. Resilience drives the asylum seekers who are helping revive the economy in Lewiston, a city that didn’t welcome them at first. Resilience will grow from this trauma — if community fills the spaces it leaves. If you or someone you know needs help, visit 988lifeline.org or call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Current or former military service members can call 988 and press 1. Share 1143 Comments Opinions on gun rights HAND CURATED * Opinion|6 solutions to gun violence that could work June 2, 2022 Opinion|6 solutions to gun violence that could work June 2, 2022 * Opinion|The U.S. is seeking a double standard on guns. That’s wrong. November 6, 2023 Opinion|The U.S. is seeking a double standard on guns. That’s wrong. November 6, 2023 * Opinion|Even gun rights zealots might support these innovative ways to save lives November 3, 2023 Opinion|Even gun rights zealots might support these innovative ways to save lives November 3, 2023 View 3 more stories Loading... 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Choose your plan → Advertisement Advertisement TOP STORIES Travel Local guides, travel tips and the latest industry news Inside Dolly Parton’s new ‘high-fashion rustic’ resort Advice|The secret best week for cheap international flights is coming The best place to shop is other people’s lost luggage Refresh Try a different topic Sign in or create a free account to save your preferences Advertisement Advertisement Company About The Post Newsroom Policies & Standards Diversity & Inclusion Careers Media & Community Relations WP Creative Group Accessibility Statement Get The Post Become a Subscriber Gift Subscriptions Mobile & Apps Newsletters & Alerts Washington Post Live Reprints & Permissions Post Store Books & E-Books Print Archives (Subscribers Only) Today’s Paper Public Notices Coupons Contact Us Contact the Newsroom Contact Customer Care Contact the Opinions Team Advertise Licensing & Syndication Request a Correction Send a News Tip Report a Vulnerability Terms of Use Digital Products Terms of Sale Print Products Terms of Sale Terms of Service Privacy Policy Cookie Settings Submissions & Discussion Policy RSS Terms of Service Ad Choices washingtonpost.com © 1996-2023 The Washington Post * washingtonpost.com * © 1996-2023 The Washington Post * About The Post * Contact the Newsroom * Contact Customer Care * Request a Correction * Send a News Tip * Report a Vulnerability * Download the Washington Post App * Policies & Standards * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Cookie Settings * Print Products Terms of Sale * Digital Products Terms of Sale * Submissions & Discussion Policy * RSS Terms of Service * Ad Choices * Coupons 5.7.2 Already have an account? 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