Politics
Pritzker Signs New Bills Aimed at Improving Gun Safety
So-called assault weapons are pictured in a file photo. (Credit: Roschetzky / iStock)
A pair of new bills signed into law this week aim to improve gun safety in Illinois by strengthening storage requirements and expanding statewide participation in a federal firearm tracing program.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed the two bills into law, which he said will continue Illinois’ efforts to be among the most aggressive states in combating gun violence.
“I’m tired, frankly, of treating something completely preventable as inevitable,” he said at a news conference in Chicago. “I’m tired of hearing thoughts and prayers, and then nothing gets done. So Illinois is standing up and doing something about it.”
Pritzker signed into law the Safe Gun Storage Act, which outlines strengthened firearm storage requirements in homes where a gun could be accessed by a minor, an at-risk person, or someone otherwise prohibited from using firearms.
That legislation also adds civil penalties for improper storage security and requires gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm within 48 hours upon discovery, cutting back the previous 72-hour requirement.
According to Pritzker’s office, states that have adopted secure firearm storage laws have seen decreases of up to 78% in unintentional shootings by children.
“Every year hundreds of children unintentionally shoot themselves or others,” Pritzker said, adding that in 75% of school shootings and 82% or adolescent suicides involving a firearm, the weapon used belonged to a family member. “Mandating secure and responsible storage is a critical first step in combating these problems and protecting our communities.”
The governor on Monday also signed HB1373, which requires every law enforcement agency in Illinois to participate in the federal firearm tracing platform eTrace, which he said will help strengthen investigations and make communities safer.
In doing so, Pritzker said Illinois police will be able to provide local investigators with complete information on gun trafficking and crime patterns related to firearms recovered from the scene of a crime or ones that were believed to have been used in a crime.
“This will give the police the tools they need to track down illegal guns and the criminals that traffic them into our communities,” state Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) said in a statement. “Tracing guns used in crimes and sharing data across jurisdictions will help solve crimes and keep dangerous individuals off our streets.”
