Gov. Paul LePage hosted a lively town hall meeting in Richmond on Wednesday with one of the most supportive audiences he’s seen on the tour, which began last year. Several people stood up to thank him for his work and he drew applause after applause as he discussed issues ranging from the five referendums on the November ballot to gun control bills pending in Congress.

He continued his criticisms of the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine People’s Alliance and indicated his war on lobbyists could broaden.

“It’s time to expose who the biggest lobbyists are,” said LePage. “Who are the people that are preventing us from being prosperous? It’s the people in the halls of Augusta that hand out big … they used to do little brown paper bags. Now they’re just doing check and soon there will be wire transfers. That’s how it works. … We are victims of a system in America that is run by lobbyists.”

LePage also spoke at some length about attempts at gun control legislation that are swirling in Congress. He argued that the problem isn’t access to guns; it’s an inadequate system for treating mental illness.

“If you go after guns without going after mental illness, you are not going to accomplish anything,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of Americans who own guns are not bad people.”

LePage said his reaction whenever the debate begins anew is to head to a sporting goods store.

“Every time there’s a big gun battle about one of these incidents, I go buy a gun,” said LePage to applause from the audience. “I have a big safe of them. I have five that I bought and I haven’t shot them.”

One other interesting note: While discussing investment capital, LePage hinted that more Chinese-funded economic development could be coming to Washington County. LePage announced in 2014 that Chinese investors would build two new tissue machines at Woodland Pulp in Baileyville. Officials announced in March of this year that the $120 million expansion was halfway done and that both new machines would be running by the end of June.

LePage said Wednesday that the project could grow.

“I just got a letter today from Mr. Chu in China, who invested in two machines in Washington County,” said LePage. “We’re talking now about investing in two more tissue machines.”

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