McHenry Times

Rep. Connie Cain (R-Gilberts) recently criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s approach to gun control in Illinois given the Highland Park shooter was able to obtain a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card even though he had a clear and present danger report filed against him.

While Pritzker signed legislation to reform the state’s gun control processes after the 2019 mass shooting in Aurora, Cain said it hasn’t been properly carried out. The law, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, provided funding and established a task force to assist with confiscating firearms from people who have had their FOID cards revoked, according to Du Quoin Call. The bill also charged the state police with monitoring state and federal databases of gun-related crimes to identify people who should not be allowed to own firearms.

“Time after time across the country we are finding out that human error is to blame,” Cain told McHenry Times. “The Highland Park shooter threatened to kill people with knives and was then still able to get a gun. The failure on the Governor’s part is his willful refusal to take responsibility and offer real solutions.”

During a Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) meeting, Republican lawmakers questioned the Illinois State Police (ISP) over their assertion that they had no authority to deny a FOID card to the alleged Highland Park shooter, according to Capitol News Illinois.

The alleged shooter, Robert Crimo III, had applied for a FOID card to allow him to purchase firearms in 2019, just 3 months after an individual filed a clear-and-present danger report because Crimo had threatened to "kill everyone." Local law enforcement confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a samurai blade from the residence, but returned them later that day, according to NBC Chicago.

Crimo was not arrested after that incident, and Capitol News Illinois reported that although the Highland Park police forwarded the report to ISP, ISP discarded it because Crimo did not have a FOID or a pending application at that time. ISP stated at the meeting that its hands were tied because of rules in place at the time. Several months after that incident, the suspect filed a FOID application, which was approved. He subsequently purchased 5 weapons legally over the next two years.

Several weeks after the July 4 shooting, ISP issued a new emergency rule stating that it will maintain clear-and-present danger reports, even if the subject of the report does not have a FOID or a pending application. During the JCAR meeting, the rule was allowed to stand.

In an opinion piece for Real Clear Politics, Republican candidate for Illinois Attorney General Thomas DeVore expressed dismay over the increase in violent crimes in Chicago and its suburbs and concern that the implementation of the SAFE-T Act in Jan. 2023 will contribute to an even greater increase in crime, calling the bill "anti-police, pro-criminal." DeVore criticized Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and incumbent Attorney General Kwame Raoul for supporting policies that lead to more violent criminals being released onto the streets.

Cain also expressed criticism of the SAFE-T Act which will eliminate cash bail for certain offenses.

“Jails will be emptied out and criminals will go back on the streets to commit more crimes,” she told McHenry Times. “‘Catch and release’ is something you do if you are a sport fisherman and police officers will find themselves catching criminals only to have a system in place that releases them.”

EveryTown For Gun Safety ranks Illinois' gun control laws the 6th strictest in the country, noting the requirement for background checks on all gun sales and an Extreme Risk law. 1,505 people in Illinois are killed as a result of gun violence each year.  There have been 444 murders and 1,885 shooting incidents reported in the City of Chicago this year as of Aug. 28, according to data from the Chicago Police Department.

“Based on the numbers you could say that the more restrictive they are the more gun crimes occur,” Cain said. “The failure here is the lack of prosecution and incarceration of those who commit gun crimes. Almost every time you read about someone shooting someone their history shows a previous gun crime where they were dealt with leniently. Anyone who commits a crime with a gun or knife should be dealt with severely and if they have ever threatened to kill someone, they should be denied the purchase of a gun.”