Canty Helps Pass Groundbreaking Measures for Safe Gun Storage, Tracking Lost Firearms

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — State Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, helped pass measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands, protect children from accidental shootings and track lost and stolen firearms.

“We are taking commonsense steps to save lives by ensuring that the small portion of gun owners who don’t store their firearms safely live up to the standards of other gun owners,” Canty said. “This is a smart approach that can have a big impact without posing undue burdens on people who are ready to prioritize safety.”

Canty backed the Safe Gun Storage Act, which will enhance gun storage safety and address stolen firearm requirements with the ultimate goal to prevent access to firearms by minors, at- risk individuals and those prohibited from possessing them. The bill would require firearm owners to secure their weapons in a locked container, rendering them inaccessible and unusable to anyone except the owner or an authorized user.

She also put her support behind House Bill 850 to tighten lost and stolen gun reporting requirements.

“I’m committed to finding practical approaches to comprehensively improve public safety of this community,” Canty said. “Guns that end up lost or in the wrong hands pose a threat and they need to be tracked. This measure is a big step forward in the fight to end that threat.”

Senate Bill 8 and House Bill 850 passed out of the Senate chamber last month. They now await the governor’s signature.