The claimed Highland Park shooter looks to have got away with it despite recent attempts by Congress to patch things up with new firearms laws. His father reportedly assisted him in getting a gun despite numerous indications that he wasn’t suitable to own one.
Authorities claim that Robert Crimo’s father supported his then-19-year-old son for a FOID (firearm owners identification) card, which he reportedly used to purchase the semi-automatic weapon in 2020, despite disturbing episodes that had occurred only a few months earlier.
Officials disclosed on Tuesday that they’d had a few encounters with Crimo in 2019 during which he’d made threats against his own family and himself. Police said that when his parents declined to file charges and Crimo assured them he wasn’t a threat to himself or anyone else, the latter led to law enforcement temporarily seizing multiple weapons.
As per police, Crimo was allowed to obtain the firearm used in Monday’s slaying since there was technically no justification to refuse him. The 2019 occurrences had not resulted in any charges, which might have disqualified him, and the only thing on his record for 2020 was a minor ordinance violation.
He also obtained approval from his grandfather. At least on paper, nothing immediately popped out to indicate that he shouldn’t be treated differently from everyone else. Of course, stories of his troubling social media activity have also surfaced; some claim that this conduct should have been noticed and alerted, but it wasn’t. Sadly, it appears that all that happened caused a significant catastrophe that left at least 7 people dead and numerous others injured.
The parents of Crimo released a statement in which they expressed their sympathy for all those affected and their support for the families of the victims.
A gun safety bill that President Biden just signed into law is intended to address and solve situations like the one in which Crimo was able to lawfully purchase a firearm despite the prior events.
The bipartisan effort drastically tightens up background checks and red flag laws for prospective gun buyers. and that person is disqualified if mental health difficulties are discovered. However, it appears that the bill came too late, as Crimo had the pistol for at least a few years prior to the alleged crime.
Crimo was momentarily on the run following the shooting, as we previously reported, but police eventually found him and arrested him. He is accused with seven first-degree murders in addition to other offences. This week, Crimo is expected to appear in court.
