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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 6 July 2022
Highland Park set tight gun limits long before parade attack

By KATHLEEN FOODY Park’s local and federal
The Associated Press elected officials back gun
CHICAGO (AP) — In a state restrictions, showing it by
with some of the country’s their presence at anti-gun
toughest gun regulations violence rallies and their
and a city that bans semi- votes. Police were also
automatic weapons, Dana stationed all along the pa-
Gordon still feared a mass rade route. But that didn’t
shooting could happen stop the killings on Monday,
here. Gordon said.
Gordon, a Highland Park “People have to realize,
resident and an anti-gun there’s nothing that makes
violence activist, knew any community immune,”
the familiar questions from she said. “The only thing
victims of mass shootings that’s going to help any of
across the country — how us is if we vote out legisla-
could such violence come tors who refuse to do any-
to their school, their super- thing about guns.”
market or movie theater, Gordon helped organize
their city. an anti-gun violence arts
The latest act of mass vio- event in town last month
lence to hit the U.S. came following the mass shoot-
Monday in the northern ings at a supermarket in
Chicago suburb, when Members of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team Unit investigate on Central Avenue near Green Buffalo, New York, and a
police said a gunman Bay Road in downtown Highland Park, Ill., less than 24 hours after a gunman killed several people school in Uvalde, Texas.
and wounded dozens more by firing a high-powered rifle from a rooftop onto a crowd attending
climbed to the top of a Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade, Tuesday morning, July 5, 2022. Weeks later, she was field-
business along Highland Associated Press ing phone calls from friends
Park’s Independence Day who fled their city’s holiday
parade route and opened gunman, a 21-year-old resi- ended at the U.S. Supreme joined by Justice Antonin parade in terror.
fire. Seven people died dent of nearby Highwood, Court’s doorstep in 2015 Scalia — said they would Gordon said since the
and more than 30 people legally purchased the rifle when justices declined to have heard the case and shooting she’s received
were wounded. used in the attack in the hear the case. Highland struck Highland Park’s limits. dozens of emails from
The violence has focused Chicagoland area but did Park Mayor Nancy Rote- “The overwhelming major- friends and neighbors, ex-
attention on Highland not say exactly where he ring responded to the win, ity of citizens who own and pressing their shock that
Park’s 2013 ban on semi- bought it. at the time arguing: “Ban- use such rifles do so for law- such violence could hit
automatic weapons and They also have not speci- ning assault weapons and ful purposes, including self- their home. She said it gives
large-capacity magazines. fied the type of weapon large capacity magazines defense and target shoot- her hope that influential
Illinois officials have long used, only describing it as is a common sense step to ing,” Thomas wrote. voices can make a change
contended that legal and high powered and “similar reducing gun violence and For Gordon and other ac- — tempered by her belief
illegal weapons are easily to an AR-15.” protecting our children, our tivists in Highland Park, that national change is the
purchased in surrounding Highland Park’s clamp- law enforcement and our Monday’s violent attack only hope of preventing fu-
states, hampering even down survived a legal communities from potential was a push to continue ture mass shootings.
the toughest local laws’ ef- challenge from a local pe- mass violence and grief.” working toward national “You can’t protect people
fectiveness. Authorities said diatrician and the Illinois Two conservative justices — restrictions on such weap- all the time,” she said. “This
Tuesday that the suspected State Rifle Association that Justice Clarence Thomas, ons and ammo. Highland is a gun issue.”q

California forest fire temporarily strands

July 4th revelers

The Electra Fire in Sierra Ne- and 300 to 400 people in and support to large-scale,
vada Gold Country broke Calaveras County, Red- expanding incidents,” Cal
out Monday afternoon and man said. Evacuation cen- Fire said.
tripled in size overnight to ters were set up for people Redman said the cause of
more than 4.7 square miles and animals. the fire was not known, but
(12.2 square kilometers) More than 100 fire engines, that it started in the Vox
acres by Tuesday morning. 1,200 firefighters and 14 he- Beach area of the North
The fire started at a recre- licopters were sent to the Fork Mokelumne River. He
ation area that was packed fire, which was a threat to said that could suggest fire-
with people, forcing 85 to power infrastructure, the works or a barbecue as a
100 celebrating the holiday California Department of potential cause.
at a river to take shelter at Forestry and Fire Protection One firefighter from the lo-
A firefighter sprays water on the Electra Fire burning in the Rich a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said. The terrain was de- cal fire protection district
Gulch community of Calaveras County, Calif., on Monday, July facility, said Amador Coun- scribed as steep and rug- suffered burn injuries, Red-
4, 2022. ty Sheriff Gary Redman. All ged. man said.
Associated Press were later safely evacu- Cal Fire activated an inci- Vox Beach is about 55 miles
JACKSON, Calif. (AP) — A trapped holiday revelers as ated, he said. dent management team (89 kilometers) east of Sac-
Fourth of July wildfire that it chewed through a moun- Mandatory evacuation for the fire. The teams “are ramento in the heart of the
authorities say may have tainous California region orders and warnings com- made up of trained per- Sierra Nevada region that is
been sparked by fireworks that’ is a top tourism desti- bined affected about 500 sonnel who provide op- steeped with the history of
or a barbecue temporarily nation, officials said. people in Amador County erational management the mid-1800s Gold Rush.q