Bailey Says More Guns Will Help High Crime Areas
Senator Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), a GOP candidate for Governor, at a pro-life event earlier this year. Bailey said at a candidate forum this week that more access to guns will “stop crime” in the Chicago area.
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What might be a throwaway line in front of a heavily Republican audience, Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), a GOP candidate for Governor, may have fed suspicions about his chances to win a general election.
Speaking about guns at a gubernatorial forum in Tazewell County this week, Bailey was asked about “attacks” on gun rights in the legislature. During his comments, Bailey claimed more access to guns would actually reduce violence in high crime areas.
"The mother in Chicago needs to have the right and better access to be able to carry and to protect her family. You wanna stop crime in Chicago in the urban areas? That's how we do it. We promote the second amendment,” Bailey said.
The Republican crowd cheered, but a GOP strategist rolled their eyes at the comments.
“This guy can’t help himself,” the strategist said. “He doesn’t know that the things you can say in Effingham and Mt. Vernon can’t be said in the suburbs.”
We asked the Bailey campaign to clarify the comments and his spokesman, Joe DeBose, responded his comments regarded the state’s Firearm Owner Identification Card (FOID) law.
“Senator Bailey has always supported law-abiding Illinoisans' rights to protect themselves and their families. He supports eliminating unnecessary barriers like FOID cards that dramatically slow down the process, stand in the way of individual rights, and do nothing to deter crime,” DeBose said. “A background check can be performed at the point of sale using a driver's license or state ID. He has also stated multiple times that he will have the backs of law enforcement and wants to put more police on the ground to help stop crime.”