Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) said the program is “absolutely” racially motivated. “Unless you’re Stevie Wonder or Helen Keller, you can see it,” she said.

"History has shown that when oversight is diminished, the risk of injustice increases — especially for those in communities that have long experienced the burdens of aggressive policing," Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell said.

Sales of the homemade firearms known as ghost guns grew exponentially after kits came onto the market that let people easily build them at home, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. “Some home hobbyists enjoy assembling them. But criminals also find them attractive,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has removed the 2024 surgeon general’s advisory on gun violence from its website.

Those who advocate for the restorative justice model say reducing the types of cases that are referred would cut back on the rehabilitation opportunities. The State’s Attorney’s Office says they prefer alternative approaches that move away from the peace circle and instead toward gun education and a path toward FOID cards.

Karina Gonzalez and her 15-year-old daughter Daniela were shot and killed on Fourth of July weekend in 2023 at their Chicago home, allegedly by her husband. After more than a year of negotiations, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill in her honor that is designed to remove guns from domestic violence situations.

Under Illinois’ aggravated unlawful use of a weapon statute, individuals are not allowed to carry a firearm in public unless the person has a valid Concealed Carry License.

Karina’s Bill seeks to protect domestic violence victims by creating uniform processes for removing guns from alleged abusers who are subject an order of protection.

Robert Crimo III willingly waived his right to remain silent while speaking to police, and there was no “coercion, deceit or intimidation” to prevent him from talking to a lawyer, Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti said.

Police have been tight-lipped about why a 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian Christian School shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday, before shooting herself. Two other students who were shot remained in critical condition on Wednesday.

A student opened fire at a private Christian school Monday morning in Wisconsin, killing two people in the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died, police said.

The suspect, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and carrying a distinct gray backpack, fled on foot down an alleyway before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away. The shooter was at large, sparking a search that included police drones, helicopters and dogs.

Johnson had planned to be in attendance at Martinez’s funeral Monday, but changed course Saturday, saying he’d “heard from the family and am honoring their request.”

Democratic leaders — who kept their veto-proof majorities in both the state House and state Senate — are discussing what, if any, actions Illinois may take to “shore up” protections ahead of a second Trump presidency.

Gun owners argue the ban infringes on their constitutional right to bear arms. Gun control advocates argue the ban is common sense and a way to protect Illinois residents from guns that are designed to be extra lethal.

An Illinois judge on Friday issued a permanent injunction against the state’s so-called assault weapons ban, calling it an “unconstitutional affront to the Second Amendment.”