Should red-flag law have stopped parade shooting?

CHICAGO — Days after a rooftop gunman killed seven people at a parade, attention has turned to how the assailant obtained multiple guns and whether the laws on Illinois books could have prevented the Independence Day massacre.

Illinois gun laws are generally praised by gun-control advocates as tougher than in most states. But they did not stop Robert E. Crimo III from carrying out the attack in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

One focus is on the state’s socalled red-flag law, which enables parents, roommates and police to ask courts to seize guns from people who show signs they could turn violent. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have such laws.

Here’s a look at Illinois’ red-flag and gun-licensing laws, and whether they could have been applied to Crimo:

The law, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2019, authorizes judges to order the temporary removal of firearms from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others, according to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, a state agency.

The order, called a firearm restraining order, also bars them from buying guns. It is separate from domestic violence restraining orders and laws that mandate reporting of certain behavior by some professionals, such as teachers.

Illinois’ red-flag law, as in many states, is a civil matter. It is meant to be invoked within hours or days of someone making threats or displaying threatening behavior. The order is not meant to be invoked as a result of a clear crime.

It appears that he did. But it isn’t clear just who knew about it and when, and whether law enforcement agencies took the behavior seriously enough.

Less than three years ago, police went to Crimo’s home following a call from a family member who said he was threatening “to kill everyone” there, according to Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

Police confiscated 16 knives, a

Rocky Mountain Gun Owners is suing Superior over its new stricter and more comprehensive gun safety laws and, in turn, challenging a state law giving local governments the authority to regulate firearms.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court, names the town and Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. Along with Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, the lawsuit was filed by the National Association for Gun Rights, the National Foundation for Gun Rights and Superior resident Charles Bradley Walker.

Superior Mayor Clint Folsom declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit.

The Superior Town Board voted unanimously in June to pass its gun ordinances in response to mass shootings across the country, including the deaths of 19 children and two adults at a Texas elementary school.

The new ordinances repeal the current article in the town’s municipal code regarding possession and use of weapons, replacing it with updated regulations that