Macon Reporter

Senator Chapin Rose (R-Decatur) led a press conference March 9 to draw attention to the effects of gun violence on the families of police officers.

"You don’t need to hear from politicians. You need to hear from spouses, children, those impacted by the growing crime-murder problem in this state," Rose said. "These people have been impacted in the worst way by that. I'm here to simply introduce my constituent, Amber Oberheim, who, unfortunately, I met for the first time at her husband Chris's funeral after he’d been murdered responding to a multiple-convicted felon in the city of Champaign about a year ago."

Rose then turned the press conference over to widows of police officers killed in the line of duty.

Rose is good friends with Officer Jeffrey Creel, who was with Chris Oberheim on the night of his death. Creel recovered from his gunshot wounds.

Rose said that the man who killed Creel had a criminal background.

“Chris’ partner that night is one of my best friends,” Rose said, according to WCIA. “Chris Oberheim’s murderer, the man who shot my friend Officer Creel as well, was a multiple convicted felon. Officer Creel and Officer Oberheim were responding to yet another domestic disturbance by that individual.”

Rose has been pushing for tougher sentences for those with gun convictions.

The Officer Down Memorial Page reported that 92 officers have died nationwide this year as of Tuesday.

Sen. Don DeWitte (R-West Dundee) said he believes reducing crime involves investing in mental health services, according to WCIA.

“Democrats like to call (us) the ‘Party of No,'” DeWitte said at a press conference in October. “We are here with solid proposals to help get illegal guns out of our neighborhoods, keep violent criminals off of our streets, and have a major impact on reducing many of the root causes of crime by investing in mental health services.”

“I find it to be a real breakthrough that Senate Republicans want to invest in reducing gun violence,” Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford (D-Westchester) said, according to WCIA. “It’s rare that any Republican acknowledge guns as a problem. I look forward to working with him.”