Illinois GOP governor candidates cite mental health as core issue in gun debate

While the six Republican candidates for Illinois governor agree the shooting in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two adults was a tragedy, they responded differently to questions about how they would prevent such an event in Illinois.

In a pair of candidate forums Tuesday night, most of the candidates voiced their desire to end Illinois' Firearm Owners Identification card system, the licenses issued by the Illinois State Police to people who want to own guns in the state.

The candidates running in the primary are Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia; Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin; businessmen Gary Rabine and Jesse Sullivan; former state Rep. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo; and attorney Max Solomon.

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Richard Irvin

Irvin was in office in February 2019 when a gunman killed five people and himself at a manufacturing plant in Aurora. He cited this experience as an influence on his views on gun control.

"We're not going to allow senseless acts of violence define who we are as Americans and who we are as Illinoisans," said Irvin on Tuesday.

On policy, Irvin suggested that the FOID system in Illinois needs reform in order to function.

"The system is broken and it definitely needs fixed," Irvin said. "But we need background checks to ensure that guns don't get in the hands of criminals and folks with mental illnesses."

Darren Bailey

Mental illness was a concern cited by several candidates as a driver in gun violence.

"Much of these issues that we're dealing with actually have to do more with mental health than anything else," Bailey said.

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Bailey has introduced legislation to eliminate the FOID card system, such as in April of last year.

"We have the federal background check and I feel confident that that is enough and that the FOID card hinders the freedoms of Second Amendment gun owners," Bailey said.

Paul Schimpf

Schimpf, another candidates with legislative experience, also suggested that mental illness was what people should focus on.

"We have to be exploring mental illness and the challenge that mental illness poses for our country," Schimpf said.

He also said he would support ending the FOID card system.

Jesse Sullivan

Researchers have begun to question the role of mental illness in mass shootings and gun violence in recent years.

"Serious mental illness plays a limited role — it is neither necessary nor a sufficient condition for mass violence," wrote Jennifer Skeem and Edward Mulvey in a 2020 study of the issue published in the "Criminology & Public Policy."

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Other candidates took diverging views on methods to keep schools safe and how to regulate guns effectively and within the Second Amendment.

For Sullivan, he cited the importance of renewing Illinoisans faith in God and supporting people in the role of fatherhood.

"When you remove God from our society, these are the types of things that happen," said Sullivan, referring to the shooting in Texas.

Gary Rabine

Rabine also cited the need for a cultural change, not a policy.

"Bad people are going to get guns and when bad people get guns, bad things are going to happen," Rabine said. "There's no way that the most stringent gun laws in the country, in the city, are going to eliminate that. We've got to raise our kids better."

Max Solomon

Solomon, who supports ending the FOID system, said he hopes to increase the number of armed security at schools around the state.

"I will make sure every school in Illinois has armed security," Solomon said. "It takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun."

Contact Andrew Adams: aadams1@gannett.com; (312)-291-1417; twitter.com/drewjayadams.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Illinois GOP governor candidates on what to do about gun control