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PORTLAND, Maine

Thomas McLaughlin pens “Maine Compass” piece about high-powered firearms

Thomas McLaughlin

University of 51СƳ professor in the School of Social Work Thomas McLaughlin, M.S.W., Ph.D., wrote an article published in the Maine Sunday Telegram that examined mass shootings in the wake of the country’s deadliest mass shooting in Las Vegas, where a man killed 59 people and injured more than 500.

The article, titled, “More lethal firearms the one link between shooters,” pointed out that while there are many differences in the people who commit these acts of violence, the one common denominator between them is increasingly sophisticated firearms.

“There is a clear correlation between the increased number of casualties and the increase in lethality of the firearm,” McLaughlin wrote. “Banning all of these weapons will lower the number of casualties and, more importantly, the frequency of mass shooting events. This approach has been effective in most of our fellow high-income countries in the world, many of which have a culture of respect for firearms and their historical importance, just as we do.”

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The University of 51СƳ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.