CHICAGO, Illinois — Illinois representatives and gun violence prevention groups met Monday via Zoom to discuss three new bills aimed at detecting and lessening gun violence in the state.
The proposals come on the heels of the Feb. 15, 2019, shooting in Aurora, Illinois, that left six people dead and injured six others, five of whom were police.
Nearly one year earlier, 17 people died, and 17 others were injured in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting Feb. 14, 2018, in Parkland, Florida.
Rep. Sean Casten and Rep. Robin Kelly said the following three bills were poised to stop further trafficking of illegal guns and decrease violent crimes in the Chicagoland area and throughout the country.
- Gun Trafficker Detection Act:
- Gun owners must report a lost or stolen gun (can be done online) within 48 hours.
- Helps law enforcement identify/prosecute gun traffickers if their gun was lost or stolen and found at a crime scene.
- Traffickers held liable for any damage caused from their guns.
- Repeat violators not allowed to purchase a gun for five years.
- Prevent Gun Trafficking Act:
- Specifies prohibition of straw purchasing of firearms, making straw purchasing a federal crime.
- Attorney General is required to ensure that gun purchasing transactions clearly states penalties for violating federal anti-trafficking law.
- Federal Firearms Licensee Act:
- Expands applicability of federal firearm laws to "facilitators" like gun shows and online marketplaces.
- Requires physical security measures to prevent firearm thefts
- Clarifies assessment standards for licensed dealers and their employees
- Increases record retention, electronic data management and sharing for background checks.
Illinois has strong gun regulations, but many are being undone due to weaker laws in neighboring states where more than half of gun-related crimes come from, Casten said.
"60% of all the crime guns used in Chicago are trafficked in from out of state, you can only do so much when your neighbors do such a poor job of limiting access to guns," Casten said. "Almost 20% of all the crime guns in Chicago come from Indiana. One gun from Wisconsin was found to be used in 27 shootings (in Chicago) before it was finally taken out of service."
The past two years (2020-21) have featured the most gun sales in U.S. history, President of Brady United Center Kris Brown said.
"We have to treat this gun violence as an epidemic, because the that's what is is," Brown said. "The last two years were the deadliest in decades, mostly because of a national rise in fatal gun violence. The toll it's taking on our communities is devastating and continues to rise everyday."
Chicago CRED Founder Arne Duncan shared the goals and experiences of his anti-gun violence prevention group, detailing some of the losses and trauma suffered over the last five years.
Duncan said two weeks ago, one of the group's participants was shot and killed walking out of his or her building and a security guard was injured.
"Having that violence literally at our front door has rocked us, and it's been a very difficult time for our team," Duncan said. "Having the influx, the pouring of guns to our communities with no accountability is absolutely devastating. It doesn't have to be that way."
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