The troubling news about Meltdown Mike Bost just keeps coming. Not only did Illinois voters learn that Bost’s handgun was stolen and not reported missing, but Bost didn’t know it was missing until the police showed up to question him. According to police, Bost was also keeping a bottle of Jack Daniels and a campaign poster in his gun safe.
“It turns out that just about the only thing more irresponsible than Meltdown Mike Bost’s public meltdowns in Springfield is his how he handles his handguns,” said Brandon Lorenz of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Meltdown Mike Bost needs to immediately come clean and explain why he didn’t report his gun missing and why he he expects voters to believe he didn’t even know it was stolen until it was used to threaten another person’s life.”
BACKGROUND:
Bost Opposed Requiring Lost or Stolen Firearms to be Reported. In 2008, Bost voted against requiring that lost or stolen firearms are reported to the State Police Department or a local law enforcement authority within 72 hours of learning of the loss or theft. The bill further states that failure to report a lost or stolen firearm would result in the person’s Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID) to be revoked or seized by the State Police Department. The bill failed 47-64. [HB 2760, Third Reading, 5/31/08]
Bost Said Downstate Residents Knew How to Handle Guns More Responsibly. In 2004, Bost said Downstate residents of the state, having grown up around guns, learned how to handle guns more responsibly. “We don’t have the fear of them…The only time someone in an inner city sees a gun, either a police officer is carrying it or it’s being used in a crime,” Bost said. [Chicago Tribune, 3/27/04]