DuPage County sheriff says he is not changing stance on enforcing the gun ban

[February 03, 2023]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Despite public and internal pushback, DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick says he will not change his stance on enforcing Illinois' gun ban.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted the ban on certain semi-automatic firearms and magazines on Jan. 10, with a requirement that already possessed weapons be registered with Illinois State Police by Jan. 1, 2024.

Last month, the DuPage County sheriff announced he would instruct his officers not to enforce the gun and magazine ban, which prohibits individuals from purchasing certain semi-automatic weapons and bans certain magazines.

The decision led county board officials from Illinois' second most populated county to hear from citizens on both sides of the debate last week. That led to a sit-down meeting between Mendrick, State's Attorney Bob Berlin and County Board Chair Deb Conroy.

Mendrick, in a response on Facebook afterward, said that he will not be changing his stance on the measure but will enforce any crimes where a gun is involved.

"We will not be sending our deputies out proactively to take your lawfully owned gun, so remove that stressor from your life," Mendrick said. "What we will be doing is enhancing penalties for those who use guns illegally in a commission of a crime."

Mendrick said he was not coerced into making any statements.

"Do not listen to the media, I was not threatened to be censured or anything else during the meeting," Mendrick said.

Berlin, Conroy and Mendrick released a joint statement after their meeting.

"Enforcement of this law does not demand that deputies go door to door seeking to remove weapons from those licensed to own them," the statement reads. "With this understanding, Sherriff Mendrick is committed to enforcing all state and local laws."

Mendrick joined over 90 county sheriffs that said they would not enforce the measure.

A group of Illinois residents attending the DuPage County Board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.
Andrew Hensel / The Center Square

Crawford County Sherriff William Rutan said his officers would not be enforcing the measure either.

"We feel this law that has recently passed is unconstitutional, and we are not going to enforce any of that law," Rutan said.

Jasper County Sheriff Brandon Francis also said his officers would not enforce the law, saying his oath is to the constitution and not the governor.

"I don't have any fear from not enforcing this," he said. "When I took my oath as sheriff, the second line in my oath was to uphold the constitution of the United States of America."

DuPage residents seemed to be split on their opinions of Mendrick's position. Jax West of DuPage County gave a statement to the county board last week and provided statistics on the number of victims of gun violence.

"If our new gun laws can save just one child, then it is worth it," West said. "Do your job, Sherriff Mendrick. You are to enforce laws, not make them."

Jamie Clark of Aurora spoke in support of Mendrick's position to not enforce the ban and said lawmakers do not care about public opinion or their residents' thoughts related to this matter.

"It is quite clear that our legislators no longer vote how the people want them to based on the over 10,000 opposing witness slips for this gun bill on the third amending of it," Clark said. "Our elected officials now work for their own agendas, and this is intolerable."

Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.