Local resident gets frank with CNN reporter as police hunt mass shooting suspect: 'I wish I had a firearm'

As law enforcement hunts down the man they believe is responsible for a massacre in Maine, a local resident told CNN on Thursday that he would feel much safer if he owned a firearm.

Reporting from a town near Lewiston — the scene of the mass shooting — CNN senior correspondent Shimon Prokupecz spoke with a local resident, whom he identified as "Cory," about his concerns as police continue searching for the suspect they believe murdered at least 18 people.

"It's just — nerves are rattled right now. [I'm] keeping an eye on the woods because I know those woods down there; they run right back here. And I got my daughter inside," Cory told Prokupecz.

"How old is your daughter?" the reporter followed up.

"She's 10 years old. And my oldest daughter, she works at the Walmart [distribution center], too, and I had to message her, find out if she is OK. It's very unnerving right now," Cory responded.

When Prokupecz noted that police officers have been canvasing the neighborhood with their long guns visible, Cory interrupted the reporter to explain why he finds comfort in their firepower — and why he wishes he had some of his own.

"That actually made me feel better, seeing the cops coming around here — that makes me feel a million times better," he said. "And the situation like this, I wish I had a firearm."

The White House and Democrats wasted no time using the tragedy — despite the ongoing manhunt for the suspect — to push for more gun control, and much is being made of Maine's relatively lax gun laws.

But it's not clear which gun control initiatives — such as red flag laws or background checks on private firearm transactions — would have prevented the massacre, especially considering the suspect's alleged poor mental health.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!