3 Dead, 3 Injured, After Gunman Opens Fire in Illinois Bowling Alley

ROCKFORD, IL - JULY 12: A woman sits in the back of a squad car after she was taken into c
Scott Olson/Getty
AWR Hawkins

Three people are killed and three others were injured after a gunman opened fired Saturday night at bowling alley in Rockford, Illinois.

UPDATE: USA Today reported the alleged gunman in the attack is an “active U.S. Army member.” He allegedly used two handguns in the attack, and killed three men “ages 73, 65, and 69.” He wounded a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, and a 62-year-old.

ABC News said the shooting occurred at Don Carter Lanes just prior to 7 p.m. The suspected gunman, a “37-year-old white man,” was taken into custody.

Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said, “When officers arrived on scene, the shooter was still in the building. No officers fired their weapons we know of at this point, but the individual that we believe is responsible, and the only individual we believe at this point to be involved, we may have in custody. But it’s still to be determined.”

Illinois has a red flag law, a 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases, and a licensing requirement for gun ownership via Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) cards and a background check is required on the purchase of a gun.

The Illinois State Police list the process for buying a gun in Illinois:

• Buyer must possess a valid FOID card.
• Buyer must verify local firearm ordinance requirements.
• Buyer must display valid FOID card to FFL prior to handling firearm.
• Buyer must complete Federal Form ATF 4473.
• FFL notifies the Illinois State Police (ISP), Firearms Services Bureau to perform
a background check in accordance with state and federal laws.
• FFL receives an “Approval” from ISP to transfer the firearm.
• Buyer must abide by the State of Illinois waiting period before taking possession
of the firearm. The waiting period for a long gun is 24 hours and 72 hours for a
hand gun.
• Upon taking possession of the firearm, the firearm must be unloaded and
enclosed in a case to transport.

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. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

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