Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew was fatally shot on April 25 with a 10-millimeter Glock 29 that investigators say was first purchased in an illegal straw sale at Range USA's store in Merrillville, Indiana. The suspect who shot Bartholomew was not the original owner of the firearm, according to investigators. Range USA is a gun retail chain with 50 stores across 14 states, founded in 2012 by Tom Willingham as a modernized alternative to traditional gun shops.

Federal records obtained by ProPublica show that before the gun used in Bartholomew's killing was purchased, the Merrillville store had been cited for serious compliance failures on multiple occasions by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2022, ATF inspectors recommended revoking the store's license after determining a background check was missing for one sale. Inspectors also found that the company made "no significant improvement" toward rectifying over a half dozen previous violations. Range USA managers told inspectors the problems would be resolved once the company moved to an electronic paperwork system. The revocation recommendation was later rescinded after proof was found that the background check had been conducted.

What the Right Is Saying

Gun rights advocates and Republican lawmakers say the focus should be on prosecuting criminals rather than punishing law-abiding retailers. The National Rifle Association said in a statement that "one rogue customer does not indict an entire industry" and warned against policies that burden legal gun owners.

Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who has received support from the National Shooting Sports Foundation's political action committee, said federal regulators should target illegal activity rather than impose punitive measures on businesses. "Legal gun retailers follow the law," Jordan told reporters. "When someone breaks the law, we prosecute them."

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms industry, of which Range USA founder Tom Willingham has contributed to politically, said straw purchases are already illegal and that retailers cannot be held responsible when customers lie during background checks. The organization pointed to training programs its members voluntarily adopt.

Some conservative commentators argued that ATF enforcement failures, not retailer negligence, led to the tragedy. "The ATF had information about this store and didn't shut it down," wrote Buck Sexton on social media. "Maybe the answer is better enforcement of existing laws, not new restrictions on legal commerce."

Range USA's founder Tom Willingham has defended the company's compliance record in prior statements. In responses to ATF findings included in inspection records, Range USA managers attributed violations to employee errors and staff turnover while pledging improved training protocols.

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic lawmakers and gun control advocates say the case illustrates systemic failures in federal oversight of gun retailers. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said in a statement that the incident "underscores how a single bad actor can undermine public safety for years." He called for strengthening penalties against retailers with repeated violations.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a advocacy group backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, pointed to Range USA's pattern of ATF violations across multiple states. "When stores face no meaningful consequences for breaking the law, they have no incentive to change," said Sarah Burd-Sharps, the group's research director. She argued that current federal penalties are insufficient deterrents.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence called on the ATF to pursue permanent license revocations rather than fines. "Officer Bartholomew's death was preventable," said spokesperson Kelsey Bohl. "We know who sold that gun illegally. We also know that store had a history of violations that regulators chose not to address."

Gun safety researchers at the University of Chicago Crime Lab noted that straw purchases—where a legal buyer acquires a firearm for someone prohibited from purchasing one—account for an estimated 20% of guns recovered in criminal investigations. They said retailer accountability is essential to reducing illegal trafficking.

What the Numbers Show

According to ATF inspection records obtained by ProPublica, federal authorities recommended revoking licenses for four Range USA locations between 2020 and 2024: Merrillville, Indiana; Dayton, Ohio; Lewis Center, Ohio; and Naperville, Illinois. All four stores remain open today. The company paid fines in at least two cases.

At the Dayton location in 2021, an ATF inspection found that a Range USA employee sold a firearm to a person who had failed a background check. Company representatives admitted to the agency that the employee "missed the appropriate connections" concerning illegal sales despite training.

At the Lewis Center store in 2022, inspectors found that a sales clerk falsified records of a gun sale after accepting an expired conceal-and-carry permit in lieu of conducting a required background check. Range USA managers disputed that employees acted intentionally.

According to industry trade publications cited in ProPublica, Range USA's sales increased by just over 5% in 2025 even as the broader firearms industry contracted. The company plans to open three new locations by 2027.

The ATF reported conducting approximately 9,700 compliance inspections of federal firearms licensees annually in recent years, resulting in warnings or violations in roughly 40% of cases. License revocations occur in fewer than 1% of violation cases, according to agency data.

Gun Violence Archive estimates that 492 law enforcement officers were shot in the line of duty in 2025, with 66 killed. The organization does not track what percentage of recovered crime guns were traced to retailers with compliance violations.

The Bottom Line

The killing of Officer Bartholomew has renewed scrutiny of how federal regulators handle gun retailers with repeated violations. Range USA's Merrillville store faced license revocation recommendations but remained operational before the sale that led to a police officer's death.

The Biden administration had moved to strengthen penalties for firearms retailers who fail to maintain compliance, including lower thresholds for triggering enhanced scrutiny. However, ATF under the current administration has been weakening those penalties, according to agency announcements, potentially reducing consequences for future violations.

Both sides of the debate point to enforcement gaps: gun control advocates say stores with track records of violations should face stiffer penalties faster; gun rights supporters argue that prosecutors should focus on criminals who misuse firearms. The Range USA case may test which approach gains traction in Congress or the courts.

Prosecutors have not yet announced charges related to the Bartholomew shooting investigation. Range USA did not respond to requests for comment for this article.