Prairie State Wire

In a July 4 Facebook post, Sen. and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) expressed his condolences following the Highland Park shootings.

"Cindy and I are heartbroken by today's tragedy and we pray for the victims and those grieving loss. We pray for the shooter to be caught and prosecuted without further loss. We hope we can all come together in prayer and action to address rampant crime and mental heath issues to ensure these horrific tragedies don't happen again," Bailey posted.

On July 5, Bailey shared this: "Another child killed by violence. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the middle of the day in a neighborhood park. When does it end? When will Governor Pritzker take crime seriously and provide law enforcement the resources they need? It's time to take crime seriously. It's time to demand law and order and ensure safer streets and communities for EVERY Illinoisan."

Bailey has supported getting rid of the Firearm Owner Identification cards. In May, he encouraged the legislature to void the FOID: "I can't say this enough, VOID THE FOID!!! It's not time to reform and add more bureaucracy to a broken, unconstitutional system, it's time to eliminate it and allow all law-abiding Illinoisans the opportunity to exercise their Second Amendment rights!!! #standingwithyouin2022," tweeted Bailey.

In April, he reminded voters of his support for the Second Amendment. "Cindy and I visited KAM Shooting Sports in Morton today," he said in a tweet. "I support the Second Amendment and will always stand up and fight to defend your freedoms." As part of his campaign, Bailey hosted a gun raffle that ended on April 23. "Friends, help fuel our movement to reform Springfield and restore Illinois and enter to win one of these great guns," he said in an April 22 tweet. "Winners will be drawn tomorrow at our event from 2-4PM. You do not have to be present to win."