SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Lawmakers supporting gun control are pushing for two changes to state law later this year.
One proposal to curb gun violence would extend the requirement for safe gun storage to all Illinois households with children under 18. The current law only requires the storage for families with children 13 or younger.
“We must act to prevent access to deadly weapons by minors and people who should not have access to guns,” Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-West Chicago), the House sponsor of the bill, said. “We will build on our record of nation-leading gun violence prevention legislation and ensuring safe storage of firearms is a commonsense measure long overdue.”
The other main proposal would have speedier requirements for reporting stolen firearms. Gun owners would have one less day to report their guns as lost or stolen in order to be compliant with the law, from 72 hours to 48.
"Approximately 380,000 firearms are stolen in the United States each year, many of which are trafficked or used in violent crimes," Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) said. "Working with stakeholders to raise public awareness and streamline reporting of lost and stolen firearms is a commonsense gun violence prevention measure that will save lives."
The advocates hope the bills are considered during the legislature’s veto session next month.
"There are more guns in our country than people, and every one in three children lives in a home with a gun,” Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of G-PAC said. “There is mounting evidence that the risk of unintentional shootings, mass shootings and suicide can be significantly reduced if we make simple changes in our laws."
Gun rights advocates are opposed to both laws.
"I think it makes the environment for gun owners more hostile in their own way," Richard Pearson, the executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, said. "The people who get find a firearm in their house are almost always owned by prohibited persons So they shouldn’t have a firearm anyway. That’s one of the problems, is you let prohibitive persons who commit these crimes go, which they constantly do."
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via WCIA.com https://www.wcia.com
October 16, 2024 at 04:33PM
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