'Horrific Act': GOP Candidates, Pritzker React To Texas Shooting

AURORA, IL — Aurora Mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin on Tuesday night called the Texas school shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers a “horrific act” and called for the need for stiffer background checks for people purchasing guns.

Irvin’s comments came in the hours following the shooting at the Texas elementary school in Uvalde, which prompted responses from a number of political figures, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and others seeking the office of governor in November.

Irvin, who appeared on a televised forum on NBC Chicago, said that he believes in the Second Amendment, but said background checks are "very necessary." Police in Texas said that the 18-year-old gunman who was involved in Tuesday’s school shooting purchased two assault weapons on his 18th birthday.

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But while calling for background checks, Irvin — who said it took him nearly a year to renew his Firearm Owners Identification Card during the COVID-19 pandemic — said that Illinois’ laws regarding FOID are “broken and definitely need to be fixed.”

He also said in the debate that more support needs to be shown to local police.

“We need to make sure we support our police, and we support our neighbors and our families and our friends and these schoolchildren that we don’t allow weapons to get in the hands of criminals and those with mental illness,” Irvin said Tuesday.

In a tweet sent Tuesday night, Pritzker called Tuesday’s school shooting “heart-wrenching and enraging” and wrote, “my prayers are with (victims') families and my resolve is with all Americans who are working to end senseless gun violence wherever it occurs.”

Irvin appeared at the NBC/Telemundo forum, along with former state Sen. Paul Schimpf and Hazel Crest attorney Max Solomon. Later in the evening, three other GOP candidates — Darren Bailey, businessman Gary Rabine and venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan appeared in a debate on WGN.

In that setting, Bailey called Chicago a “crime-ridden, corrupt dysfunctional hellhole” and said he wished Irvin would have shown up at the event. He called Irvin a “mini-Mike Madigan,” and said electing Irvin as governor would be “no different” than electing the former House Speaker to the office.

Regarding the school shooting, Bailey said the matter had more to do with mental health than anything. He has supported legislation that would lead to the repeal of Illinois FOID laws.

Sullivan, meanwhile, attacked Democrats for wanting to politicize the issue of school violence.

When mass shootings occur, “Democrats always want to talk immediately about gun control and limiting our Second Amendment rights,” Sullivan said.

Rabine agreed and said the answer wasn’t tougher gun laws.

“Bad people are going to get guns,” Rabine said in the WGN forum. “When bad people get guns … bad things are going to happen."