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* Daily Herald…
Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said he is embarrassed to be a Democrat because of concerns about the state’s new ban on certain firearms. […]
On Wednesday, Hain told the county board’s legislative committee that several lawsuits and opposition from law enforcement could have been avoided if police had a meaningful spot at the table while lawmakers crafted the legislation.
He said it’s a recurring problem that includes the push for COVID crackdowns and the quagmire of the SAFE-T Act, which still is being revised with trailer bills.
“Please remember, I’m an elected Democrat,” Hain said. “I’m pro-no cash bail. If they want to ban any sort of weapon, whatever, we’ll enforce it. But our legislators here in Kane County, especially with the (Democratic) Party next to their names, do not listen to law enforcement. They refuse to communicate with us. They create legislation based on what they read on social media and knee-jerk reactions in the news. I’m tired of having to clean up the pieces and try to figure this out afterward. I’m embarrassed to have a D next to my name.”
* From Kane County Democratic Sens. Cristina Castro and Karina Villa, and Reps. Barbara Hernandez, Maura Hirschauer and Anna Moeller…
Gun violence is a uniquely American public health epidemic; while we know the remedies, public officials like Sheriff Ron Hain refuse to prescribe them. We are fighting every day for those remedies, so on one point we agree with what the Sheriff said in this Daily Herald headline: we are also embarrassed that Sheriff Hain has a “D” by his name.
The Protect Illinois Communities Act is not about politics, it is common sense public safety policy that will keep weapons of war out of neighborhoods and homes. It was publicly discussed at three subject matter hearings in December of 2022. If the Sheriff had cared to pay attention or check his facts he would have seen that several representatives from law enforcement spoke on the record in support of the bill at a hearing on December 20, 2022. But, much to the detriment of the people of Kane County, Sheriff Hain doesn’t care about facts, he prefers to spread misinformation and stoke the flames of controversy.
Families in our community have been loud and clear — enough is enough. There is nothing political about dropping your child off at school and fearing you may never see them again. No Kane County resident should feel unsafe celebrating at a parade, shopping at their local grocery store, or gathering in a park. Legislators in Illinois heeded the calls of our constituents and joined eight other states in banning the sale and possession of assault style weapons. We took action and we stand by our commitment to common sense gun safety.
Gun violence is a complex and multifaceted public health crisis and each piece of the puzzle deserves attention — from sustained investment in community violence intervention programs and, yes, mental health support, to job creation and addressing inequalities in our public schools. But for us to continue to pretend that the mass proliferation of guns isn’t the number one factor contributing to gun violence is to deny both basic common sense and empirical research in a way that is either embarrassingly naive or maliciously disingenuous. We do need a more comprehensive approach to mental health treatment, we need to expand access to opportunity, and we need to bridge political and cultural divides – but no serious approach to gun violence can ignore the ease of access to weapons of war.
Again, we ask Sheriff Hain to step back from public disputes and commit to working together on public safety policies that will benefit the people of Kane County. Our doors are always open for collaboration and he knows where to find us.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:29 pm
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–do not listen to law enforcement.–
They listened to you. Multiple times. Then they also listened to the other 99.9999% of their constituents who elected them.
The sheriff is just confused between “listened to” and “does what I say”.
Just because the legislators did not do what he told them to do, doesn’t mean they didn’t listen to him.
The Sheriff should think long and hard about what he is saying here. Does he want the legislators to only do what law enforcement tells them to do, or does he want legislators to listen and do what the majority of their constituents elected them to do. Because one of those things is democracy, and the other isn’t.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:34 pm
Angry local man complains women don’t listen to him.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:35 pm
The politics to this is that the legislative Dems realize the score, the sheriff is playing to an audience of nuance to what he thinks is “missing to” the discussion and…
Thinking this is an LEO issue to wonky politics is missing the point, even the sheriff knew it was about the politics
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:36 pm
Democratic leadership seems to have a lot invested in gun control. Enough so that they feel they have to police what members of their party publcly say about it.
Comment by CrowbaitBob Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:37 pm
===Enough so that they feel they have to police what members of their party publcly say about it.===
Meh.
The “sheep” way the Republican cultists keep members worried about facing primary challenges, this issue is a sheriff looking at a policy through a want of an LEO to appease, the letter by the legislators, you guessed it, talks about “polling” through the term “constituents”
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:48 pm
CrowbaitBob-
Those Dem legislators were responding to the sheriff’s public statement.
The rest of your “thought” is gibberish.
Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:50 pm
I see the obvious political value for downstate sheriffs to push back against the assault weapons ban, but it strikes me as really bad politics in the ‘burbs. Especially for a Dem sheriff in the primary.
Comment by Roman Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:57 pm
“the sheriff is playing to an audience of nuance”
He is a very popular and charismatic dude - he knocked on my door last election and we had a quick respectful discussion. Based on his election results he must be drawing independent and GOP votes. He received 89,923 votes in the 2022 General - outpolling JB, Alexi, Tammy Duckworth, or Mendoza. He is trying to move his party to the center on an issue that many in Kane feel strongly about. Good for him.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:58 pm
Also,
Good on ALL of them putting on one letterhead and above all their signatures a thoughtful letter, speaking in concert.
Impressed.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 1:59 pm
Doesn’t Hain know that he is the one that put the D by his name, and he can change it? He can put an R or an I or a Z by his name if you likes.
I mean, it seems pretty silly to say I hate calling myself something I am not, and then keep calling oneself that same thing. Silly man.
Comment by H-W Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 2:05 pm
I don’t get Hain’s comment at all. He won his first election in what was really a Republican County. Now it is Democratic or at least trending Democratic so why speak up? I don’t like guns and would be happy to see them all go away but perhaps Hain is standing on his principles and he truly believes what he said. If so he is a rarity now a days. Bucking his part on principles
Comment by DuPage Saint Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 2:12 pm
===He is trying to move his party to the center on an issue that many in Kane feel strongly about.===
Cite polling to that effect.
Polling found even on the blog has assault bans as favorable. The trend seemingly is continuing along those lines.
The nuance is this want, but because “embarrassed by the D” is the politics, it’s the legislators that could get more hay out of this, accidentally
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 2:16 pm
If the sheriff wants to have a policy discussion and lobby for his employees’ safety concerns, then fine. That’s what debate is for.
Unfortunately, his rhetoric and seemingly hard-lined stance at protecting assault weapons may cost him a lot of support from his Democratic supporters.
Comment by Blue to the Bone Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 2:23 pm
“They refuse to communicate with us.”
They refuse to do what he wants all the time.
Fixed.
Comment by btowntruth from forgottonia Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 2:39 pm
=== Good on ALL of them putting on one letterhead and above all their signatures a thoughtful letter, speaking in concert. ===
Compare the letterhead & signatories of today’s letter with last month’s letter by the state representatives to Sheriff Hain and one will notice one state representative refused to sign the 2nd letter.
Also, I wonder if the Democratic supermajority Kane County Board will go the way of DuPage County Board when they threatened the DuPage County sheriff with censure last month unless he retracts his opposition to the assault weapons ban?
Let’s see if polling let alone intestinal fortitude dictate the 16 Democrats on the County Board along with the Democratic Board chair to take the extreme measure.
Comment by John Lopez Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 2:51 pm
I’m weary of mouthy public servants (elected or not) trying to dictate…especially from behind a badge.
Comment by Dotnonymous Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 3:02 pm
Feel free to primary him with a candidate who promises to fully enforce the assault weapons ban, and to jail anyone who defies it.
If it polls so well… Do. It.
Comment by JB13 Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 3:02 pm
===Compare the letterhead & signatories of today’s letter with last month’s letter by the state representatives to Sheriff Hain and one will notice one state representative refused to sign the 2nd letter.===
How do you know they refused… and I don’t know what exactly you want, the politics of this is quite clear
===Let’s see if polling …===
No matter *your* own want, the trend isn’t the “no ban” friend.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 3:04 pm
The Democratic party gave the people what they wanted. Nobody said that had to square with what Hain wants. And that’s the great thing about the democratic process. At the end of the day, one guy such as Hain, doesn’t have outsized influence just because he has a badge.
Comment by Pundent Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 3:23 pm
===Feel free to primary him===
Oh, for crying out loud, tough guy.
Do you need some Kleenex for the tears? He took a shot at them. They lobbed one back. Lots of whiners complaining here. It just is what it is.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 3:43 pm
For someone who claims to have no communication with the Kane County Board of Commissioners, Sheriff Hain seems to think he knows a lot about their legislative process. How would you know that “They create legislation based on what they read on social media and knee-jerk reactions in the news” if you’re shut out of the legislative process Sheriff?
Just a thought - try interacting with your colleagues in government respectfully and see what happens.
Comment by Bond Guy Friday, Feb 24, 23 @ 4:39 pm