Chambana Sun

Rep. Brad Halbrook recently expressed his grief toward the July 4 Highland Park incident and wants to eliminate the root cause of violence.

In a July 11 news release, he addressed the shooting.

"I am saddened by the senseless loss of life by deranged individuals who are intent on doing evil. I pray for the victims and their families. We need to look for answers as to why the Highland Park mass murder occurred and why the violence in Chicago continues," Halbrook said.

Seven people died, and nearly 100 were wounded in the Highland Park shooting during the community's Fourth of July celebration, according to CNN. Suspect Robert Crimo III was taken into custody. Lake County state's attorney Eric Rineheart told CNN that Crimo faces seven charges of first-degree murder and that he plans to seek the maximum sentence of life in prison without parole should the suspect be convicted. Dozens of other charges will be added soon, including attempted murder, he said.

Halbrook's statement continued: "It is time to get to the root cause of this violence. More information comes out daily that the Highland Park shooter had a fascination with violence that was ignored. It should be noted that Highland Park had in place its own assault weapons ban, enacted in 2013, and that Illinois has Red Flag laws as well, both of which failed to prevent the shooter from owning the weapon he used. More laws are not the answer. I firmly believe we must look deeper for solutions to the violence going on in our society. We must be open to all conversations about why this violence continues to occur and look for real solutions to prevent this tragic loss of life in the future. As to Governor Pritzker's disaster declaration for Highland Park, I would like to know what criteria he is using to make such declarations. The unfairness of declaring one zone of violence as a disaster area and ignoring others."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker had called a special session to address abortion in Illinois following the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, but on Jul. 5, he announced that it would be delayed, according to the Chicago Tribune.