CHICAGO, IL — Darren Bailey’s extreme pro-gun record and refusal to fund first responders is proof that his leadership would make Illinois families less safe.
As state lawmaker, Bailey voted against more than $3 billion of funding for state police in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. He also opposed upgrading the state crime lab and legislation to combat retail theft.
After Governor JB Pritzker signed historic legislation banning assault weapons in Illinois, Bailey went on a rampage to oppose it, vowing, “I Will Not Comply.” When the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the ban, he protested, stating he would “die on this front porch” before he complied with the law. As a candidate for Congress, he declared that he stood for “zero regulations, zero new laws” and vowed to not register his guns by the January 2024 deadline, even at the expense of safer schools and communities across Illinois. In 2024, Bailey even raffled off a commemorative Donald Trump pistol, a clear sign that his MAGA-style gun agenda is out-of-step with Illinois.
In 2023, during a day of remembrance for the Highland Park 4th of July mass shooting, Bailey uploaded a Facebook banner with the words, “Hands off my AR” written over a semi-automatic weapon of the type used in the mass shooting. Unsurprising, coming from someone who told Illinoisans to “move on,” minutes after the same mass shooting.
While Governor JB Pritzker believes in supporting our first responders and keeping families safe from gun violence, Bailey has proven he has no respect for common-sense laws that keep Illinoisans safe. His extreme views are too dangerous for Illinois.
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