Carbondale Reporter

After the 2019 mass shooting in Aurora, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker set out to reform the firearms owner’s identification, or FOID, card process, but the alleged Highland Park shooter still was issued a card even after threatening to “kill everyone” in his family, prompting Highland Park police to issue a clear and present danger report with the Illinois State Police.  

According to a Capitol News Illinois report, Republican legislators questioned the ISP during a Joint Committee on Administrative Rules session, with the law enforcement agency claiming it didn’t have the right to deny a FOID card to the alleged shooter, Robert Crimo II, who was able to buy weapons just three months after the alleged threat. State Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Pamona, pointed his finger at the Pritzker administration.

“It is amazing how Gov. Pritzker wants to hold honest gun owners accountable for the rise in violent crime, but at the same time, he overlooks his own failure to enforce the very laws he signed,” Jacobs said in an interview. “Instead of lashing out at honest gun owners, the governor should focus on enforcing the law – especially the laws he signed.”

After the 2019 shooting in Aurora, which left six dead at a workplace, and injured five police officers, Pritzker began reform efforts, leading to a law that took effect Jan. 1, 2022, and established a task force to take firearms from people who have had their FOID cards revoked, according to duguoin.com. The website notes that under the law, the ISP was tasked with overseeing local and federal databases to find people who should not own a firearm. Jacobs maintains that passing new laws is not the answer. 

“There is a tendency to do something when these shootings occur, but acting in haste is never a good idea," he said in the interview. “We need to think through the laws we enact and debate them instead of just doing something for the sake of doing something. We would have much better laws in place if our leaders focused on getting results instead of just getting something done. “

Real Clear Politics notes that Thomas DeVore, a Republican candidate for attorney general, voiced his concern in an op-ed over crime in the Chicagoland area and contended that the implementation of the SAFE-T Act on Jan. 1, 2023, would lead to an increase in crime. According to Real Clear Politics, DeVore points the finger at incumbent Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox for putting more criminals back on the streets. Jacobs agrees. 

“I opposed the SAFE-T Act and I have and will continue to support efforts to repeal it,” the legislator said. “There is only one result of ending cash bail and that is more crime.” 

Amid the debate, crime remains a problem, and state laws allow authorities, including school administrators, to issue clear and present danger requests with the ISP to head off a potential incident if a person could prove to be a danger to themselves or others should they obtain a firearm. The report notes that the ISP can reject a request for a FOID card or revoke a card for someone who may pose a threat. Despite this, NBC Chicago notes that Crimo requested a card several months after the threats were made in his home, was granted a card and purchased several firearms over the next two years. 

Every Town For Gun Safety notes that Illinois has the nation's sixth strictest gun control laws, requiring background checks for all gun purchases and more than 1,500 people are killed in the state yearly due to gun violence. 

“We have too many laws,’ Jacobs said. “We need to look at the laws we have and simplify them and then go out and enforce them.”

The Chicago Police Department reports 444 murders and 1,885 shootings as of Aug. 28.