September 23, 2022
As we near a midterm election on November 8, a lot of anti-Second Amendment politicians have been blaming guns in general, or our Second Amendment rights in particular, for recent rises in violent-crime rates. They do this even though many of these same politicians have passed no-cash-bail policies, which let violent offenders back onto the streets as they await trial. Many of these anti-gun legislators have also blamed the police for crime, even as they’ve made it more difficult for the police to do their jobs.
Illinois has now doubled down on this insanity—while some of its politicians still blame a constitutional right for suddenly causing crime to spike.
Starting January 1, 2023, Illinois will become the first state to eliminate all cash-bail requirements for those accused of crimes. This was part of the state’s “Pretrial Fairness Act,” which was part of the omnibus “Safe-T Act” passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2021.
Technically, this doesn’t mean those charged with crimes, including violent crimes, will automatically be released before trial. Illinois judges can still deny pre-trial releases; however, according to First Coast News, “The SAFE-T Act states that a person will only be detained ‘when it is determined that the defendant poses a specific, real and present threat to a person, or has a high likelihood of willful flight.’”