While I was locked out of the system, Miguel has done good work covering the Henry Pratt shooting in Aurora, Illinois.
I lived in Aurora from 2012 to 2015, so I know the area well.
I know Henry Pratt, I had done some metallurgical analysis for them, but I don’t know any of the victims.
I had both a FOID and IL CCL. I have bought a gun in Aurora. All of that was a bear.
I have a good idea what gun store he bought the gun from, if the news is correct that be bought the gun in Aurora. There is one gun store in the city, it is run by a complete asshole. Seriously. I bought one gun from him and had such an awful experience I never went back.
When you buy a gun in Illinois, first you have to have a FOID which is like a 4473 but run by the ISP and requires a passport photo.
When you buy the gun, you still have to do the federal NICS check with the 4473, AND the ISP runs your FOID again.
The IL CCL has its own background check system through the ISP and FBI, like the Florida CCW.
So far I have not seen this reported on in the News, but this is my theory* as to what happened that allowed this guy to get his gun.
* Like I said, this is my theory, I am not reporting it as fact, if I am proven wrong, then I’m wrong.
I think the screw up happened in Mississippi.
Remember the Church shooting where the guy who shot up the church was dishonorably discharged but the Air Force didn’t properly report it so that it ended up in NICS.
My theory is that is what happened here. It was an old conviction, taking place in 1995, which is 19 years before he bought the gun. My guess is that somewhere along the lines, that old conviction didn’t go into the right database so it showed up in NICS.
What is really interesting about this is that Mississippi is one of four states that can get out of state IL CCL permits (Texas, Virginia, and Arkansas are the other three). This is because IL requires mandatory reporting of mental illness adjudication as part of their reciprocity agreement. If this turns out to be a screw-up with Mississippi’s reporting, I wonder what IL will do with CCL reciprocity.
Also, if your FOID becomes suspended, they mail you a letter telling you to turn in your gun. There is no process by which the ISP tells your local PD to check to see if you are still in possession. I suspect that might be the next gun law passed in IL, i.e., if your FOID gets revoked, the ISP lets your local PD know so they get a warrant and search your place.
Also, it should be noted that Aurora, as the second largest city in Illinois had a murder free year in 2012 when Chicago had 500. Usually Aurora has one or two, so this mass shooting is way beyond the usual number of murders in the city.
This are just some thoughts I’ve had on this outside of what Miguel has already done a good job covering.
When my step-sons FOID card was revoked for a domestic violence charge (arrest, no conviction) in about 2010. The state police came to his house to confiscate his pistol. The only gun he owned at the time. When he informed them that he had given the gun to me they came to my house. They asked if he had indeed given me the pistol, which I told them he had. They asked if I would give them the gun, when I asked if I had to (I already new the answer) they said no, but would appriciate it. I told them I would just keep it and if he didn’t get his FOID back I would sell it for him. They started to get a little aggresive until I started naming there supervisors by first name. So yes they do check after a FOID is revoked, at least down state.
I’m surprised. The law requires them to notify you and for you to fill out paperwork for the serial numbers of the guns you disposed of.
https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/Firearms/FOID/RevokedFOIDCards.aspx
That probably was because it was a domestic violence charge. Many states domestic violence laws specifically mention police gun confiscation and the cout often notifies the local PD immediately.
Wasn’t local it was state. County already knew I had it, thats who I work for.
What a small world. I grew up in Aurora, and still live 20 miles from the factory.
If I am reading things the right way, the gun store in question is on the far east side, on the way to Fox Valley Mall (sorry, WESTFIELD FOX VALLEY. Whatever). Uses initials. I, too, bought a gun there once, which was enough for me.
Anyway, I had friends who responded to this. And I have had conversations with other interested parties along the lines of what you outlined here: there is no mechanism in place to coordinate between the state police, revoking the FOID card, and local authorities collecting firearms. Cookie’s experience related above seems to be an outlier.
I sleep better at night, knowing that our lawmakers are working hard, right now, to craft new laws that will prevent this sort of thing from happening again, and will respect the rights of gun owners at the same time. Because that’s how they do things here. Now that they’ve passed the $15/hr minimum wage law, they can get onto the important stuff.
I hate this place.
I lived on the east side of Aurora, just south of Ogden, spitting distance from Rush-Copley medical center.
Yep, we are talking about the same gun store, just east of Eola, north of East New York Street.
My god, the guy that runs that place is an asshole. The one gun I bought there was a horror story. I surprised that place hasn’t gone under yet.