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G-PAC WELCOMES COURT OF APPEALS ACTION TO KEEP IN EFFECT THE ILLINOIS BAN OF ASSAULT WEAPONS AND LARGE CAPACITY MAGAZINES

For Immediate ReleaseDec. 6, 2024 John Schmidt, former US Associate Attorney General and G-PAC executive committee member, issued the following statement in response to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals action yesterday staying the injunction issued by Judge Steven McGlynn of the Southern District of Illinois against enforcement of the Illinois ban on assault weapons and […]

G-PAC STATEMENT ON THE RULING IMPACTING PROTECT ILLINOIS COMMUNITIES ACT

For Immediate ReleaseNovember 8, 2024 CHICAGO – The Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois (G-PAC), the state’s leading gunviolence advocacy organization, issued the following statement in response to today’sruling on the Protect Illinois Communities Act: “Judge McGlynn’s decision to again enjoin the Illinois ban on assault weapons and largecapacity magazines is completely predictable. He did […]

G-PAC ILLINOIS & GIFFORDS PAC RECOMMIT TO ILLINOIS’S NATIONAL ROLE IN CHAMPIONING GUN SAFETY MEASURES IN THE ABSENCE OF NEW WHITE HOUSE LEADERSHIP

For Immediate ReleaseNov. 7, 2024 CHICAGO – The Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois (G-PAC), the state’s leading gun violence advocacy organization, and GIFFORDS PAC, the nation’s leading gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, applaud the victories of gun safety champions to the Illinois General Assembly in Tuesday’s General Election and recommit to […]

Karina’s Bill’ a lifeline for domestic violence victims

By Kathleen Sances and Rebecca Darr Guest columnists From the moment COVID-19 touched our shores, it has exacerbated many of our country’s systemic issues, such as racial discrimination and economic injustice. In the midst of shining a harsh light on these matters, COVID-19 has also resulted in what the United Nations refers to as the […]

STATEMENT FROM G-PAC’S PRESIDENT & CEO KATHLEEN SANCES ON KARINA’S BILL

For Immediate ReleaseApril 16, 2024 Media ContactMaura [email protected] Statement from G-PAC’s President and CEO Kathleen Sances on Karina’s Bill SPRINGFIELD — The Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) Illinois today released the following statement from President and CEO Kathleen Sances, who joined the many advocate groups at the Capitol today urging state lawmakers to pass Karina’s Bill. […]

G-PAC RESPONDS TO FEDERAL JUDGE’S RULING THAT ASSAULT WEAPONS BANS ARE “CONSTITUTIONALLY SOUND” 

CHICAGO – Today, the Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC), the state’s leading gun safety organization, released a statement following a judge’s decision to deny a motion seeking a temporary restraining order against Illinois’ assault weapons ban. U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall ruled that both the Illinois and Naperville assault weapons bans are “constitutionally sounds.”  “G-PAC […]

G-PAC Applauds AG Raoul and Illinois State Police’s New Gun Data Portal 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, June 29, 2022 G-PAC Applauds AG Raoul and Illinois State Police’s New Gun Data Portal  Chicago — The Gun Violence Prevention PAC released the following statement on Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly’s announcement of a new state-of-the-art online platform to assist law enforcement agencies in investigating gun crimes […]

NYT: Bipartisan Gun Bill Clears Initial Vote in Senate

The 64-to-34 vote came just hours after Republicans and Democrats released the text of the legislation, which could become the most significant overhaul of the nation’s gun laws in decades. By Emily Cochrane and Annie Karni    |   Published June 21, 2022Updated June 22, 2022, 5:43 p.m. ET WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday cleared the first hurdle to […]

$14M awarded to 5 community groups to combat gun violence in Cook Co.

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — The first Cook County Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction grants haven been awarded, totaling $14 million. The program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and aims to aid communities in Cook Co. which are most impacted by gun violence. The five programs receiving this first round of grants are: […]

Committed to Keeping our Communities Free from Gun Violence

G-PAC was founded to counter the political influence of the gun industry and their lobby in Springfield. To do this, we need champions like state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, who is standing against the corporate gun lobby and actively fighting for policy changes that save lives.Since 2021, Maura has been serving as state representative of the 49th District. […]

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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.