HINSDALE – When Illinois Republican US Senate candidate Peggy Hubbard attended a candidate forum at a west suburban high school earlier this month, she carried a firearm and ammo when she entered the building – at least that what she publicly stated shortly soon after.
Now the Belleville IL resident is backing off that claim, saying she made those comments trying to get a reaction from supporters. Now she says she actually left her firearm in a lockbox in her car, but did carry two clips inside the Hinsdale Central High School – what could be a federal offense.
From a story the Daily Herald posted Thursday afternoon:
"I walked in with a concealed carry and I had a gun and three clips and nobody checked," [Hubbard] told the audience at a forum Tuesday in Washington, Illinois.
In a social media post, she wrote she "walked in with a my weapon and 2 clips!"
But in a phone interview Thursday with the Daily Herald, Hubbard said that while she carried two ammunition magazines in her purse at the Hinsdale Central forum, she left her weapon in a lockbox in her car.
"I know what I said, and I was trying to get a rise out of people and I misspoke," Hubbard said. "And I apologize for that, but I did have two clips on me."
Why would Hubbard do that, the suburban paper asked …
Hubbard said she originally claimed she had a gun because "I wanted people to know … these kids are not safe in these schools, especially the well-to-do schools in affluent areas. They have a false sense of security."
The matter was turned over to the Hinsdale police. The police chief released the following statement, defending the school's security system and assuring parents the school is not a "soft target," as Hubbard insinuated with her comments.
"We are unable to corroborate the veracity of statements made through social media as to the type of identification she presented or whether she was in fact in possession of a concealed carry weapon. We have since learned that she has since backed away from her earlier claim.
"I have a very high level of confidence in the security protocols at Hinsdale Central High School. There is a Hinsdale police officer assigned to the school and the district utilizes the industry's best practices."
The Daily Herald has posted online a discussion between the five Republicans vying to challenge Democrat US Senator Dick Durbin in November HERE.
