Highland Park’s Mayor Blames ‘Gun Culture’ After City’s ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban Fails to Stop Mass Shooting

Highland Park’s Democrat Mayor Nancy Rotering blamed “gun culture” after her city’s “assault weapons” ban failed to stop the July 4th parade attack.

Rotering appeared on NBC’s Today Show on July 5, 2022, and host Hoda Kolb noted, “In 2013, you signed an ‘assault weapons’ ban that was in place and is in place.”

Kolb and Rotering then discussed the gun used in the July 4 parade shooting, with Rotering saying “it was legally obtained.”

Rotering called for a new look at laws surrounding “legally obtained guns.”

She later added:

Yesterday we came together as a community to celebrate independence and freedom after two years of not having a parade. We were ready to come together as a community to celebrate our nation and, in fact, as a result, because of this gun culture, our nation turned its back on us and turned its back on our celebration.

As the conversation moved to the individual police took into custody following the attack, Rotering suggested someone “had a mental breakdown.”

She then quickly pivoted to say, “But I don’t want to even ascribe it to mental health. I want us to talk about the fact that there are weapons of war on our streets that people can legally obtain…then take out dozens of people.”

In addition to an “assault weapons” ban, Highland Park, like all of Illinois, has a red flag law, a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases, and would-be gun buyers must first obtain a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card from the state.

Only persons with a FOID card can legally buy and possess firearms in Illinois.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.