PropertyValue
?:author
?:datePublished
  • 2022-07-12 (xsd:date)
?:headline
  • The weapons bought by the July 4 Highland Park shooter were purchased legally (en)
?:inLanguage
?:itemReviewed
?:mentions
?:reviewBody
  • A high-profile shooting that killed seven people and wounded many others on July 4 called attention to Illinois’ gun laws, which are considered some of the more restrictive in the U.S. Some social media users claimed Robert Crimo III, the 21-year-old who authorities say confessed to opening fire during an Independence Day celebration in Highland Park, obtained his firearms illegally. He bought the gun illegally, the July 5 post read. You FBI better step up on your game. The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook .) The overall post is riddled with misinformation and debunked narratives about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in May. The post’s initial claim is wrong, too. Crimo’s weapons were purchased legally. Crimo had a history of encounters with local police, but he was not barred from buying guns. In April 2019, police responded to a report that he had attempted suicide. In September 2019, he made threats that prompted local law enforcement officials to temporarily seize knives and a sword Crimo had kept in a closet. In December 2019, Crimo applied for a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card, which is needed to legally buy firearms in Illinois. This was about three months after Highland Park police had filed a clear and present danger report about Crimo because of his threats. Because he was younger than 21 at the time, Crimo’s application included a legal guardian affidavit signed by his father. Crimo legally obtained his FOID card in 2020 after his application was reviewed, The Chicago Tribune reported . He also passed four background checks when purchasing firearms between June 2020 and September 2021. His criminal history included a possession of tobacco violation and he had no mental health prohibitor reports, according to law enforcement. From 2020 and 2021, authorities say Crimo legally purchased five guns, including the one he used during the July 4 attack, Reuters reported . Illinois has a red flag law that would have allowed Crimo’s family or law enforcement to petition a judge to temporarily prevent Crimo from possessing or obtaining firearms because he was considered dangerous. In this case, however, neither law enforcement nor any family members filed a petition seeking to prevent Crimo from acquiring guns. Our ruling A Facebook post claimed that Crimo bought the gun illegally. Investigators told news outlets that Crimo obtained the proper identification to legally purchase firearms and passed several background checks before ultimately buying his weapons legally. We rate this claim False. RELATED: What Illinois’ ‘red flag’ gun law means after the Highland Park shooting RELATED: Highland Park shooting wasn’t a ‘false flag’ RELATED: Ask PolitiFact: What are red flag gun laws and do they keep people safe? RELATED: No evidence ties Highland Park shooter to antifa (en)
?:reviewRating
rdf:type
?:url