Mass shooting in Highland Park championing for gun control

The Newsweek reported on Wednesday that Highland Park of Illinois, where a mass shooting that killed seven people occurred on the Fourth of July, has long been considered a city with a pro-gun control perspective. The shooting took place despite the gun control bill that passed the Congress last month under the Biden administration, and there are voices that question the effectiveness of the bill.

Highland Park legislated a gun control law in 2013, which introduced a ban on semi-automatic weapons and large-capacity magazines, according to the Newsweek. Gun rights activists brought an action against the city, arguing that this law violates the Second Amendment that guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, but the Supreme Court ruled against the pro-gun advocates in 2015, determining that the law is not against the Constitution of the United States.

The city’s gun regulation sets tight limits on the possession and use of rifles that President Joe Biden also emphasized in the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. Yet, the country has once again experienced a massacre.

The New York Times reported that the suspect Robert Crimo III and his family have a long tie with the city. The suspect’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., ran for Highland Park mayor against the current mayor, Nancy Rotering, in 2019. Ms. Rotering ran a campaign for the gun control bill that is currently in force.

The Democratic Party is criticizing the Biden administration for its inapt response to the Supreme Court’s reversal of abortion rights and successive mass shootings. President Biden did not directly mention the Highland Park shooting in his remark during an Independence Day celebration. When he was criticized for lack of remarks, President Biden came on stage two hours later and said, “There is much more work to do,” drawing more criticism for his inadequate response.


weappon@donga.com