Highland Park shooting: How pro-gun lobbies celebrated July 4 amid crisis

A gunman opened fire on a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing at least six and injuring 24. Since then, the police named Bobby Crimo, a rapper, as a suspect, and have also taken him into custody. Amid this, pro-gun lobbies in the US championed arming citizens as the way the country achieved freedom. 

The National Rifle Association (NRA) said “The only reason you’re celebrating Independence Day is because citizens were armed.”

Gun Owners of America, the organization for gun rights in the US, also put up a post “This long weekend brought to you by armed citizens.” 

Both profiles kept their tweets up even after the Highland Park shooting. Twitter users commented on the NRA post saying that gun control still is important and arming militia and not civilians won the US its independence. 

The ongoing gun control debate has come up here as well, especially since the shooting occurred while the US continues to grapple with the aftermath of the shootout at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas. 

Also Read | Highland Park shooting: How suspect Robert ‘Bobby’ Crimo was taken into custody

Illinois, however, has extremely strong gun control laws and was among the first Midwestern states to ban ghost guns. Police believe that the shooter used a high-power rifle, and while state law doesn’t ban these weapons, their purchase has been restricted in some cities like Chicago by federal courts. 

Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, who’s backed by former president Donald Trump, addressed the shooting in a dissatisfactory manner, as per Twitter users, when he urged that people should move on and celebrate July 4. 

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“We know the mission, we have got to get corruption and evil out of our government, and we have got to elect men and women of honour and of courage to get this country and this state back on track”, the 56-year-old concluded.