Illinois has some of the worst gun laws in the country. You have to possess a Firearms Owner ID card in order to keep a gun in the home, a separate license if you want to carry in public, bans on so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines, universal background checks, and a three-day waiting period on all firearm transfers, to name just a few of the most egregious infringements on our rights.
One resident of Alton, Illinois has repeatedly demonstrated the ineffectiveness of those laws; most recently in late June, when 32-year-old Shaquille R. Kirkendoll was charged with possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender and felony possession of a firearm after allegedly being caught with two pistols he’s not allowed to touch.
Kirkendoll’s possession of the weapons and ammo was illegal given his prior convictions of first degree robbery in St. Louis City Circuit Court from 2011 and felon in possession of a firearm in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in 2021. He was also on parole or mandatory supervised release at the time of these latest offenses.
According to the state’s petition to deny his pretrial release from custody, Kirkendoll was “implicated in a vehicular burglary” before officers found the suspect vehicle outside a residence in the 2700 block of Judson Ave. in Alton.
“Officers obtained a search warrant for the residence and located defendant hiding in the attic, with a pistol in close proximity,” the petition states. “Officers found a second firearm, also in the attic and firearm ammunition throughout the residence.”
In a somewhat shocking turn of events, a judge ordered Kirkendoll to remain in jail, at least for now, while he awaits trial instead of sending him home with an ankle monitor or simply telling him to show up for his next court hearing.
But why was Kirkendoll free in the first place? He was convicted just four years ago for possessing a gun as a violent felon. Did Joe Biden’s Justice Department offer him a sweetheart plea deal just to secure a conviction, or did a federal judge cut Kirkendoll a break by sentencing him to less than half of the prison time he was eligible to receive?
More importantly, perhaps, is how did Kirkendoll get ahold a gun? He’s a felon twice over living in a state that supposedly has a system to prevent guys like him from arming themselves. Where was the point of failure?
I think it was at the point when Illinois lawmakers decided that criminals might break all kinds of other laws, but for some reason they’ll obey gun control statutes. Or maybe it was when Illinois Democrats decided it didn’t really matter if there’s any proven public safety benefit to these gun control laws, so long as they make it harder to own a gun. Fewer legal guns means fewer illegal guns (eventually, anyway), so any action they take to reduce gun ownership will pay off down the road.
In reality, it leads to guys like Kirkendoll arming themselves at will, while responsible adults find it inordinately difficult to keep and carry a gun to protect themselves against violent predators. That’s the true impact of Illinois’ restrictive gun regime, and Kirkendoll is just one of many examples to be found in the state’s criminal justice system.
Editor’s Note: Radical leftist judges are doing everything they can to hamstring President Trump’s agenda to make America great again.
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