https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/pat-fallon-highland-park-shootings-gun-control/2022/07/06/id/1077559/By Sandy Fitzgerald | Wednesday, 06 July 2022 11:57 AM EDT
The Highland Park, Illinois, parade shootings could have been prevented had attention been paid to the red flags on display from accused killer Robert "Bobby" Crimo III. Those red flags could have kept him from buying guns under Illinois laws, Rep. Pat Fallon said on Newsmax Wednesday
"This is such a tragedy, and it could have been prevented," the Texas Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "I'm disappointed and heartbroken that the family didn't step up, because he clearly was a danger."
According to local police, officers were called to Crimo's home in September 2019 when a family member said he was threatening "to kill everyone." Police also responded to the home in April 2019 after the suspect attempted suicide.
Police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword in the September incident. Illinois state police, who issue gun owners' licenses, said Crimo applied for a license in December 2019, just months later, and his father sponsored his application.
Meanwhile, within the past year, Crimo legally purchased the rifle used in the attack in Illinois, and overall purchased five firearms, which were recovered by officers at his father's home.
"It seems the police got there, and the family said 'Oh, he's fine, he's not going to harm anyone,' and he said that as well," said Fallon. "But what were the police doing at his home? Clearly, he was a threat to his family and the public."
But the laws on the books were not enforced, and if they were, Crimo "probably wouldn't have obtained firearms, at least legally," said Fallon.
Meanwhile, there are calls for Congress to pass stricter gun laws, but Fallon said it's important not to disarm law-abiding citizens.
"That seems to be the Democrats' answer, just simply take guns away from nearly everyone and make it incredibly difficult for law-abiding citizens to own firearms," said Fallon. "We're all safer when law-abiding citizens have firearms.
"I don't want the federal government to be involved in this. I think this is an issue that should be addressed by states, provided those states do not infringe upon Second Amendment rights."
He conceded that the expanded background check provision in the recently passed bipartisan gun safety bill may have applied to Crimo, but "we'll have to wait and see, of course, how the bipartisan law will be implemented going forward."
Fallon also commented on the call Tuesday from border county leaders to declare the immigration crisis in his state as an "invasion," calling the local leaders who are insisting that Gov. Greg Abbott take further action "great Americans."
"We have had since Joe Biden took office, 2.9 million eligible border crossings and 700,000 known got-aways, so that's 3.6 million people in a year-and-a-half," said Fallon. "We had the record number of illegal border crossings in April, an all-time high of 234,000, but it was only broken when May's numbers came out, and it was 240,000."
This means that the numbers increased 1,258% over the numbers recorded while former President Donald Trump was in office, Fallon added.
"So clearly, the border crossings have exploded," said Fallon. "It's a de facto open border because of Joe Biden's failed left-wing, far-left policies. So I think it is an invasion.
"I would encourage the governor to declare that and expose the fact that the federal government and Joe Biden have abdicated their responsibility. It's a gross dereliction of duty, and something needs to be done."
Fallon also said he would have signed onto a letter, given the opportunity, from his GOP colleagues asking why the Biden administration is purging Trump's immigration judges.
"We're in desperate need of immigration judges," Fallon said. "When you have this many people crossing the border ... and we had 1,060,000 pounds of narcotics seized on the border. That's how wide open it is. Right now, the drug cartels are making record profits."
But Biden, by not enforcing the Migrant Protection Protocols to keep immigrants in Mexico until their asylum hearings are held, made matters bad and the situation is only getting worse, said Fallon.
"It's far worse now than it was last year when some of the mainstream media actually covered it," he said. "It's not a border crisis. It's a border catastrophe, and we desperately need these immigration judges to process the record number of illegal crossings."
