The suspected Highland Park shooter seems to have slipped through the loopholes that Congress just attempted to fill with new gun regulations… with his father assisting him in obtaining a pistol, despite a slew of red flags that he wasn’t suitable to hold one.
According to officials, Robert Crimo received assistance from his father in acquiring a gun permit in 2020, when he supposedly sponsored his then-19-year-old son for a FOID (firearm owners identification) card, which he required to purchase the semi-automatic weapon, amidst worrisome occurrences just months earlier.
Authorities stated on Tuesday that they had two run-ins with Crimo in 2019 — one in which he threatened to kill himself and another in which he threatened his loved ones.
According to cops, the latter resulted in his having several weapons (knives) temporarily confiscated by law enforcement after his parents refused to file charges and Crimo informed them he wasn’t a risk to himself or others.
According to cops, Crimo was able to obtain the weapon used in Monday’s homicide as there was no reason to reject him. There had been no charges filed for the 2019 occurrences, which might have disqualified him, and the only thing on his record in 2020 was a minor ordinance infraction.
He also had his grandfather’s signature… Nothing, at least on paper, indicated that he should not be treated like any other person. Of course, there have been allegations of his worrisome social media behaviour, which some believe should have been detected and alerted but wasn’t. Unfortunately, all of this appears to have resulted in a terrible catastrophe, with at least 7 people killed and numerous others wounded.
Crimo’s parents made a statement in which they expressed their sympathies to all impacted and expressed their condolences to the victims’ relatives.
This very situation in which Crimo was allowed to lawfully acquire a firearm despite previous instances — is one that a gun safety bill signed into law by President Biden is designed to target and rectify.
The bipartisan initiative considerably strengthens red flag regulations and background checks for potential gun sales… If mental health difficulties are discovered, the individual is disqualified. However, it appears that the measure was too late – Crimo reportedly owned this pistol for a few years before reportedly carrying out his deed.
Crimo was on the chase for a while after the shooting, as previously reported, until detectives located him out and arrested him. He is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and many additional offences. Crimo is due to show up in court this week.
Source: TMZ
