Illinois mass shooting reveals gaps in gun laws; state seeks to close them

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - The governor of Illinois vowed on Tuesday to seek tighter gun control measures after learning the man who shot five co-workers dead last week was wrongly granted a firearms permit but never forced to surrender his weapon.

Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said his “entire team is focused” on problems raised by the disclosure the gunman was a violent felon who was legally barred from owning a gun but still obtained a permit to buy a weapon.

Calls for action in Illinois coincided with renewed momentum for gun control in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Democrats wrested control from the more pro-gun Republican Party and have introduced legislation to expand background checks on gun buyers.

The Illinois gunman carried his pistol to work on Friday and opened fire on fellow employees after receiving notice of his dismissal from the Henry Pratt Company plant in Aurora, Illinois, near Chicago. Five co-workers were killed and five police officers and a sixth employee were wounded before the assailant died in a gunfight with police.

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POLITICS FEBRUARY 19, 2019 / 9:44 PM / UPDATED 18 MINUTES AGO
Steve Gorman, Daniel Trotta
4 MIN READ


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-illinois-shooting-guns/illinois-mass-shooting-reveals-gaps-in-gun-laws-state-seeks-to-close-them-idUSKCN1Q907Z

[murielm99]

1. I think Illinois has

pretty decent gun laws. We just have to see that they are enforced. We have more problems with illegal weapons coming in from other states.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. Yep!

The law is clear. Then when he applied for a concealed carry permit, which requires fingerprinting, he got flagged.
He was notified that he needed to relinquish the weapon, he didn't and there was no follow-up to take it from him.
The laws are there, but we didn't enforce them.