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Category: News

We elected a gun safety majority – now let’s get to work!

Now that every vote has been counted, I am writing with some great news for Illinois: Because you donated to our campaign efforts, used our gun safety voter guide, volunteered on our phone banks and shared our social media, we elected 57 gun safety candidates in Springfield. More, the country elected a presidential ticket with […]

Gun Safety Candidates, not Gun Lobby Puppets

Chicago is experiencing its most violent September in more than 25 years with shootings up 51%. Now President Trump has nominated an NRA-supported judge with dangerous and extreme views on guns to the supreme court where she may strike down many of our gun safety laws that prevent guns from falling into dangerous hands and […]

Are gun manufacturer profits more important than your family’s safety?

As Illinois experiences record levels of violence that continues to take the lives of innocent children, one group of people is making a killing – literally. Who is profiting from the crime guns that are flooding our state? Meet the gun manufacturers that compose the National Rifle Association’s “Golden Ring of Freedom.” While the gun […]

G-PAC Profile In Courage Event – October 1, 2020

BECOME A SPONSOR OR OR BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE DOWNLOAD THE INVITE PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR NEXT PROFILE IN COURAGE EVENT DATE: Thursday, October 1, 2020 TIME: 5:45 Sponsor Reception, 6:10 Award Ceremony LOCATION:  ONLINE – THIS IS A VIRTUAL EVENT RSVP: Click here to RSVP TICKETS: $250 SPONSORSHIP LEVELS: $10,000 – Platinum Sponsor $5,000 […]

Reject Trump’s Agenda of Violence

Friend, Illinois is in crisis, as each day we are met with tragic news of another shooting. Last night a mass shooting took place, where at least 15 were shot outside a funeral in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood. This shooting comes after a weekend of  violence when 71 people were shot in Chicago, and 10 […]

G-PAC Responds to President Trump Sending Federal Agents to Chicago

For Press Inquiries Contact: Kathleen Sances 847-920-GPAC (4722) [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Gun Violence Prevention PAC Comments on President Trump Sending Federal Agents to Chicago  As President Trump announces plans to deploy federal agents to Chicago, Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) President and CEO as well as leading Gun Violence Prevention activists are pushing back. […]

Gun Stores considered an Essential Service During IL’s “Stay at Home” Order

In a press conference today, Governor Pritzker issued an order that will require residents to “stay at home,” and only leave their homes for essential services like groceries and pharmacies. Remarkably, in Illinois gun stores are considered an essential service and will remain open. As most Illinois residents stock their pantries, others are stocking up […]

G-PAC and GIFFORDS ENDORSE CANDIDATES IN IL LEGISLATIVE RACES

The Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Political Action Committee (G-PAC) and Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, have jointly endorsed 18 Democratic candidates for the March 17, 2020 Illinois primary election for their leadership in supporting and advancing legislation to keep Illinois families and communities safe from gun violence.

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1235 N Clybourn Ave Ste A246
Chicago, IL 60610 – 2435
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Rick Ryan

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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.