HR0721 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0721 LRB101 20459 MST 70024 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On February 15, 2019, a disgruntled former employee of the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora opened fire inside the company warehouse, killing five fellow employees and wounding another; five police officers were also shot and wounded while responding to the incident, before the gunman was killed in a shootout with law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, The gunman responsible for this heinous act of terror was able to obtain the gun he used to wound and kill innocent victims through a loophole in our Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) system; despite being convicted of a felony aggravated assault in 1995 in the state of Mississippi, the gunman obtained a FOID card in January 2014, and when the gunman applied for a concealed carry license in March 2014, only then did State Police revoke his FOID card and send him a notice to surrender his firearms and submit a Firearm Disposition Record; the gunman failed to surrender his weapons and submit the Firearm Disposition Record, and the State Police did not follow up; this tragic shooting brought to light dangerous gaps in State law that allowed the shooter easy access to guns; and

WHEREAS, We must remember the victims of this senseless act of violence: Clayton Parks of Elgin, age 32, Trevor Wehner of DeKalb, age 21, Russell Beyer of Yorkville, age 47, Vicente Juarez of Oswego, age 54, and Josh Pinkard of Oswego, age 37, and Timothy Williams, who was wounded by the gunman while running to warn other employees of the shooting; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 1966 would address many of these gaps, strengthen the FOID system, and help ensure that people with violent criminal histories who are prohibited from gun possession are not able to easily evade the law and arm themselves; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the one year anniversary of the mass shooting that took place at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora on February 15, 2019, and we honor the victims of this senseless act of violence; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the passage of Senate Bill 1966 to close the loopholes that have allowed violent criminals to obtain a FOID card and to streamline the revocation process for law enforcement to remove firearms from dangerous individuals.