JOIN US
PRESS

Gunman armed with an illegal firearm took off on a shooting rampage through the city and suburbs in Illinois’ latest mass shooting.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gunman armed with an illegal firearm took off on a shooting rampage through the city and suburbs in Illinois’ latest mass shooting.

The Illinois Senate must take immediate action to block illegal gun ownership.

CHICAGO, January 11, 2021 – Gun Violence Prevention PAC President and CEO, Kathleen Sances, issued the following statement following the shooting rampage that killed three people and injured 4 on Saturday.

Today we mourn as communities across our state pay the price of weaknesses in Illinois current law that allow dangerous people to obtain and keep guns. On Saturday, eight illinoisans between the ages of 15 to 81 were randomly shot in their communities as they went about their daily lives, shopping at the grocery store, riding in the car, and at their job.

Before committing his heinous shooting spree, the shooter posted alarming videos to social media where he said “I’m going to blow up the whole community” and waved a gun. Records indicate he was convicted of drug possession, theft, aggravated assault and domestic violence, criteria which make it illegal for him to obtain or keep a weapon. According to Illinois State Police, there are at least 37,000 more people who, like the shooter, have had their FOID cards revoked because they are deemed too dangerous to own a gun. This means that there are 37,000 more potential lethal threats to the safety of children, families and communities.

In the wake of this tragedy, I implore the Illinois Senate to take action NOW and pass SB1966, the BIO Bill to Fix the FOID in lame-duck session to keep children, families, and communities safe. While SB1966 has been stalled in the Illinois State Senate, Illinois has experienced record levels of gun violence fueled by illegal guns that have led to at least 7,752 Illinoisans shot and has claimed the lives of more than 100 children just this year.

SB1966 will remove guns from people prohibited from owning them and make critical mental health investments in the communities that are most devastated by Illinois’ gun violence epidemic. We owe it to all victims including – Yiran Fan, Anthony Faulkner, Aisha Johnson who were lost in this past weekend’s tragic massacre – of gun violence and their families to honor those lost with action.

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION PAC

The Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) is a non-partisan political action committee that was founded by survivors to counter the political influence of the gun industry and their lobby in Springfield, Illinois.

###

Facebook-f Instagram Twitter
1235 N Clybourn Ave Ste A246
Chicago, IL 60610 – 2435
Contact us: [email protected]
847-920-4722
© 2023. All rights reserved. Privacy & Terms

Rick Ryan

Facebook-f Twitter Globe
As the Lake County State’s Attorney, I am honored and humbled every day to lead the fight against crime, and to strive to ensure equal and just treatment under the law. I have been an attorney for twenty-two years – and each of those years has made me a stronger and smarter advocate for people, for ideas, and for the principles that unite us all.

I am so proud to lead an office of 140 dedicated colleagues who serve the public by prosecuting crime, advocating for victims, and planning crime prevention programs. I am also proud to work with hundreds of Lake County police officers on a daily basis to connect with every community and to develop comprehensive, holistic plans to respond to the mental health and economic crisis that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On one particular day, July 4, 2022, I was saddened, inspired, and motivated by the bravery of so many people. We will always stand with the victims and honor the police and other first responders who ran toward the danger. Just as so many heroes that day thought only of themselves, I also witnessed the prosecutors in my office answer the call to serve survivors and their community – even on one of its darkest days.

Every moment that I have been your legal representative, I have worked tirelessly to oversee prosecutions and to implement policies that make my family and my neighbors safer in the short term and in the long term. That is the job of the State’s Attorney: to prosecute, to innovate, and to strategically plan.

I was raised in a small town. My parents are teachers, and from them, I learned that everyone must be treated equally and that America’s sacred mission is to provide a political, economic, and legal system that allows anyone to prosper regardless of the circumstances of their birth. After graduating from Knox College and the University of Chicago Law School, I spent two years at a first-rate civil law firm in Chicago where I learned that hard work and attention to detail on every case mean the difference between success and failure.

With my wonderful wife Stephanie, I am raising my two sons, Sam and Teddy, in Lake County. Nothing is more important to me than my family’s safety and I bring that passion and determination to protect all families with me to work every day.

I joined the Lake County Public Defender’s Office in 2003 and started my own law firm in 2009. From 2003 until 2020, I watched the Lake County legal system fail to prioritize violent crime, prevent wrongful prosecutions, or address racial disparities.

So, in 2019, I decided to run for State’s Attorney so that I could serve our community by improving a local legal system that cared more about covering up its mistakes and biases than uncovering new and innovative ways to help people.

I won the 2020 election, and became the first Democrat to hold this position in 40 years. Bringing in a new party wasn’t as important as ending 40 years of one mindset that had forgotten the people and that had failed to act urgently to develop new strategic plans to prevent crime while also ensuring that each prosecution is smart, moral, and just.

We have followed through on our promises. We have built the first-ever violent crimes unit, increased prosecutors in our domestic violence division, and vastly upgraded our cyber lab. Now, we have top-notch software and personnel to finally keep up with those who would exploit others.

We have been awarded a large federal grant to bring the first ever Human Trafficking Task Force to Lake County. We have deepened our investment in people by bringing in more victim specialists and raising the salaries of many of our prosecutors.

But the work goes on. We must expand our prevention efforts that are starting with the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative launched in 2022. And we know that the opioid crisis touches thousands of lives throughout this country.

I am proud to serve on the Executive Board of the Lake County Opioid Initiative which has been working tirelessly since its founding in 2012 to reverse a devastating trend of increased overdoses. In 2022, our office was part of a national settlement against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

As an attorney of 22 years, I have committed my life to helping people, and I have conducted over 70 jury trials in Lake County, and handled appeals that have culminated in over 20 oral arguments before the appellate court and Supreme Court of Illinois.

I see my time in this office as the next phase of helping a community that I love and where I have chosen to raise my family. In my first term, we have made Lake County safer and fairer through just prosecutions, constitutional policing, and innovative crime prevention policies.