Tuesday, Jan. 17, 16 DuPage-area State legislators who represent the vast majority of the County in the General Assembly released an open letter to the public in response concerns raised by residents following the DuPage County Sheriff’s pronouncement that he would not enforce the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which was signed into law last week. In the letter, the legislators highlight the importance of the new law in helping to fight the “senseless barrage of gun violence that has plagued our state” and calls out the DuPage County Sheriff for his “dereliction of duty” and his “clear message that lawbreakers are welcome here.”
“The General Assembly passed bipartisan, common sense gun safety legislation to help protect Illinoisans and save lives that is now law in the state of Illinois, and now it’s the responsibility of our law enforcement to enforce it,” said State representative Janet Yang Rohr (IL-41).
“In saying he won’t enforce this law, the DuPage County Sheriff and others like him across the State are not only violating their sworn duty, they are sending a strong message to our residents that they’ll prioritize political gamesmanship over keeping dangerous weapons off our streets,” said State representative Maura Hirschauer (IL-49). “I’m proud to stand with my fellow DuPage County legislators to ensure our communities know that we are fighting to protect them and their right to live free from gun violence.”
The letter is signed by:
Senator Laura Ellman (IL-21); Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (IL-23)
Senator Laura Murphy (IL-28); Senator Rachel Ventura (IL-43); Senator Karina Villa (IL-25); Representative Dagmara Avelar (IL-85); Representative Diane Blair-Sherlock (IL-46); Representative Terra Costa Howard (IL-42); Representative Barbara Hernandez (IL-50); Representative Norma Hernandez (IL-77); Representative Maura Hirschauer (IL-49); Representative Stephanie Kifowit (IL-84); Representative Jenn Ladisch Douglass (IL-45); Representative Michelle Mussman (IL-56); Representative Anne Stava-Murray (IL-81); and Representative Janet Yang Rohr (IL-41).
Read the full letter below:
To the People of DuPage County:
We are the 15 Illinois State senators and representatives that represent the overwhelming majority of you and your families in DuPage County. Like so many concerned individuals who have contacted us in recent days, we are dismayed and angered by the recent pronouncement by the DuPage County Sheriff to unilaterally direct his office to flout and disregard the duly passed and signed Protect Illinois Communities Act. The Sheriff has no authority to determine the constitutionality of a law–that is up to the courts. Nor can he pick and choose which laws to enforce; he must enforce them all.
This bipartisan law was the product of hundreds of hours of negotiations and advocacy from across our shared community and constituents. It will fight the senseless barrage of gun violence that has plagued our State for far too long. By banning the sale and distribution of assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition magazines, and switches in Illinois, the Act makes our schools, neighborhoods, parades, grocery stores, and workplaces safer from the gun violence that is a threat to our wellbeing everywhere.
The DuPage County Sheriff’s intention to violate his sworn duty to uphold our State’s laws is a dereliction of duty and puts our safety at risk. The Sheriff’s words send a clear message that lawbreakers are welcome here. Should any related tragedy occur within our borders, not only will he bear responsibility for the resulting and everlasting scars upon our community, but he also will put our livelihoods and property tax dollars at risk, as his declaration now opens us up to financial liability.
Please know that even if the DuPage County Sheriff will not do his job to protect you, we as your Illinois senators and representatives are already doing so with the full weight of our offices. We are working closely with the Illinois State Police, the Governor’s Office, the Attorney General, and additional levels of State and local government and law enforcement to ensure that we will fill the void left when the sheriff abandoned his duty to protect our community. We will never abandon the constituents that we have sworn to serve, not only in DuPage County, but for the whole State.
— C-Strategies