GALESBURG, Ill. — Illinois' firearm restraining orders, also known as "Red Flag Laws" were adopted in 2019 as a gun control and protection measure. Now, the Knox County State's Attorney wants its community members to better understand and enact the law.
The "red flag law" involves firearm restraining orders, which are civil orders that anyone can file. They can temporarily or permanently remove firearms and Firearm Owner's Identification cards from individuals who are deemed potential dangers to themselves or others.
The Knox County Red Flag Law Initiative launched on Sept. 6, aiming to increase public awareness of the laws.
"It only takes a second for an individual to end their own life with a gun or to kill someone else, but if we can take the gun out of their hand, it literally buys us some time," Knox County State's Attorney Jeremy Karlin said.
He said that the tragic events at Highland Park pushed him to create the initiative.
"There were individuals after the fact who indicated that they saw disturbing behavior on the defendant's part that caused them concern, but didn't do anything," Karlin said. "I would never want to be that person who knew something and thought they could have prevented a crime."
The state's attorney added that the county will host several community training lessons on how to file a firearm restraining order. The training session will also address mandatory law enforcement training with state police on how to handle the orders.