McHenry Co. Sheriff Will Not Comply With Assault Weapons Ban Rules

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry County Sheriff Robb Tadelman says his office will not adhere to some of the rules put into place when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an assault weapons ban this past week.

State officials are lauding the bill, which is the ninth of its kind in the nation, as as one of the strongest in the U.S. But Tadelman says it is his right as the sheriff of McHenry County "to protect the rights provided to all of us in the constitution," including the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

In a statement shared with media and posted to the McHenry County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page Wednesday, Tadelman said the bill violates residents' Second Amendment rights.

"The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people," he said in the statement.

Tadelman, along with Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey and Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana, shared identical statements, stating they would not comply with all the rules set in place under the new bill.

"Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement official for McHenry County, that neither myself nor my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the State, nor will we be arresting or housing law-abiding individuals that have been charged solely with non-compliance of this act," Tadelman said in his statement.

The state's "Protect Illinois Communities Act" comes six months after the July 4th parade shooting in Highland Park, where the accused shooter twice reloaded his AR-15-style rifle with 30-round magazines and fired 83 bullets into a crowd in under a minute. Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, 22, faces 117 felony counts in connection with the state's deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman.

The rooftop shooter is accused of shooting more than 50 parade goers, seven fatally, at the Independence Day parade. The new bill defines certain semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns as "assault weapons" and bans their sale and unregistered possession in Illinois.

The bill approved by the Illinois General Assembly and signed into law by Pritzker this week also introduces restrictions on magazines that carry more than 15 rounds of ammunition for handguns or more than 10 rounds for rifles and shotguns.

Pritzker on Tuesday addressed statements from sheriffs refusing to enforce the bill and said non-compliance could lead to law enforcement officials losing their jobs. He also referred to the moves as"political grandstanding" from leaders who are "trying to make a name for themselves by claiming they will not comply."

"You don't get to choose what laws you get to abide by in the state of Illinois, let's be clear," he said. "But the reality is that the state police is responsible for enforcement and so are all law enforcement across the state, and they will do their job, or they won't be in their job," he added.

Tadelman was recently elected as the new sheriff of McHenry County in November and was officially sworn into office in December.

Patch.com has reached out to Tadelman for a response Wednesday and has not yet heard back.