CHICAGO – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, continued his efforts to pass lifesaving, commonsense gun reforms at the first meeting of the newly created bipartisan Firearm Public Awareness Task Force. 

“There are real, tangible, commonsense steps that we can take to protect our and families from gun violence that has impacted so many communities in Illinois and across the nation,” Kalish said. “This task force will help us put everything on the table and build consensus for lifesaving reforms that will keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals.”

Kalish was appointed last month to the bipartisan Firearm Public Awareness Task Force comprised of 10 members of the House Democratic Caucus and 10 members of the House Republican Caucus. The task force will review gun violence data throughout the state and submit a report with gun safety recommendations to the General Assembly. Experts from various non-profits, government agencies, academia and families affected by gun violence provided testimony to legislators during the meeting.

Over the coming months, the task force will continue to meet to outline reforms aimed at protecting communities in Illinois from senseless gun violence.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Kathy Willis, D-Northlake, supported a new law that increases penalties for individuals who commit religiously-motivated hate crimes. The measure was recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Violent gun crime is occurring too often across our country, and something must be done to end this insanity,” Willis said. “This new measure will offer much-needed protections for people of faith who will now have the security of engaging in their religious practices without fearing for their lives. It is now more critical than ever to continue efforts to fix the FOID system in Illinois too.”  

Willis supported House Bill 38, which increases the penalties for inciting an act of violence in a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship. Prior to this law taking effect, it was an aggravating factor in sentencing when the target of an attack was a police officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician or child under the age of 12. The Willis-backed bill expands this classification to violent crimes occurring in places of worship and against those who are praying or engaged in religious activities.

In Illinois alone, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 31 known hate groups, some of which include Nazi-sympathizers like the Aryan Nations Sadistic Souls and the America First Committee. There are more than 1,000 hate groups nationwide.

“People of faith have rights too, and they should never be afraid to pray in a peaceful setting,” Willis said. “Hate groups and hate speech are being flamed by the divisive rhetoric that is coming out of Washington D.C. on a nearly daily basis, but Illinois must remain vigilant in calling out that division.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In the wake of the tragic workplace shooting that took place in Aurora, state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville is supporting a safety and reform measure supported by the Illinois State Police and law enforcement community to close loopholes in the Firearms Owners Identification (FOID) card process to prevent individuals with a violent criminal record from obtaining firearms.

“We must be proactive in closing loopholes in gun licensing to prevent tragedies like Aurora from happening again,” said Edly-Allen. “I’m supporting this commonsense reform to ensure that FOID card applicants undergo a comprehensive background check and share information in real time with law enforcement to help protect our families.”

Edly-Allen backed Senate Bill 1966, known as Fix the FOID Act, that would require fingerprinting for all FOID applicants and renewals similar to that required of concealed carry applicants, enact universal background checks for all firearm transfers, streamline and strengthen the revocation process to ensure law enforcement removes firearms from individuals who have lost their privileges, as well as require FOID renewal every five years.

“As gun violence continues to plague our state and nation, we are proud advocates of the Fix the FOID Act that would prohibit people with violent criminal histories from buying guns,” said Kathleen Sances, president, and CEO of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC).
“We stand by Edly-Allen and more than 170 organizations who have joined a coalition to put a stop to preventable tragedies, like the recent shooting in Aurora, Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In response to the February mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois that resulted in the tragic loss of five lives and injuries that responding police officers and civilians are still recovering from, state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, is working to pass bipartisan comprehensive gun licensing reform supported by the law enforcement community.

“The weapon used in Aurora was legally purchased through existing loopholes that my bill aims to close,” said Kalish. “Even though the Illinois State Police were notified that the assailant purchased a gun, there was no plan of action in place for authorities to ensure that the illegally purchased weapon was turned into the authorities. This basic breakdown in procedure has resulted in several families being torn apart and we now owe it to the victims and their families to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens in Illinois again.”
Kalish is supporting the ‘Fix the FOID’Act, also known as Senate Bill 1966, which bolsters Illinois gun safety laws to prevent violent criminals from obtaining a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. The changes include closing the gun show loophole which allows people to bypass background checks and requiring fingerprint submissions to get a FOID card. Kalish’s measure also streamlines the process of allowing law enforcement to seize the weapons of individuals whose FOID cards have been revoked.

Workplace homicides have grown rapidly in the last ten years, and almost 80% were committed with a gun, often more than one-at-a-time. The Aurora shooting is one of the deadliest mass shootings of 2019, but there have been over 100 other similar incidents this year.

“The safety of our families should be a priority for all legislators, no matter party affiliation,” said Kalish. “I worked with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure that a portion of new funds raised from FOID card applications are dedicated to school-based mental health centers. As a state we must understand that complex issues require complex solutions, with mental health education being one of them. Mental wellbeing will be a priority moving forward by providing the financial resources schools need to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health and serve our young people who might be struggling.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, is pushing new reforms to close loopholes a gunman in Aurora recently exploited to obtain a firearm and kill five people. Willis’ bill gives law enforcement the tools needed to effectively enforce current law and modernizes the application and renewal process for a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card.

“We were shown the glaring need for this legislation earlier this year when a man who should never have been allowed to obtain a firearm killed five people and wounded seven more – including our brave first responders,” said Willis. “A serious approach to keeping our communities safe starts with properly enforcing gun safety laws. This bill makes it clear that we are serious about keeping guns out of the wrong hands.”

Willis’ legislation, Senate Bill 1966, is a result of negotiations between gun safety advocates and law enforcement officials and aims to close loopholes and streamline and improve existing law to help law enforcement keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. Willis began work on the legislation following the tragic shooting earlier this year that saw an individual who was convicted of numerous offenses—including domestic violence and an out-of-state felony conviction—exploited loopholes in the law and kill five individuals at a factory in Aurora.

The proposal makes various reforms including closing the background check loophole and instituting universal background checks, compelling all firearms sales to take place through licensed dealers, modernizing the gun owner licensing system by increasing the period for approving or denying an application to 90 days and allowing for cancellations, requiring mandatory fingerprinting for all gun owner applications and renewals, starting a prohibited owners portal for law enforcement to share information, strengthening enforcement through reform of gun revocations performed by the Illinois State Police and requiring gun revocations for felony indictments.

“As gun violence continues to plague our state and nation, we are proud advocates of the Fix the FOID Act that would prohibit people with violent criminal histories from buying guns,” said Kathleen Sances, president and CEO of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC). “We stand by Leader Kathleen Willis and more than 170 organizations who have joined a coalition to put a stop to preventable tragedies, like the recent shooting in Aurora, Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, will work on streamlining local government services, lowering property taxes, protecting lifesaving services and expanding access to quality education as a member of several key House committees.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to fix the mistakes of the past four years,” said Willis. “With a new session underway, we have the opportunity to make those necessary changes, and I plan to do just that for Illinois’ middle-class families.” 

As a member of the Adoption & Child Welfare and Appropriations-Human Services committees, Willis will work to enact policies that provide better funding for children, seniors and others who rely on critical lifesaving services that were devastated by four years of Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership.

Willis will be able to focus on modernizing municipal codes and laws that will not only streamline local services and prevent frivolous taxes but help start the process of lowering crushing property taxes for homeowners on the Counties & Townships and Cities & Villages committees.

Additionally, as a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee, Willis will work to expand classroom opportunities for students and ensure each student has equal access to a world-class education.

Finally, Willis is a member of the House Executive Committee and will help oversee proposed changes to election laws and other critical government oversight measures.

“Many of the legislative proposals that go through my committees will have a direct impact on the families I represent, and it is important to take extra care that those ideas actually benefit them,” said Willis. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in finally putting the needs of people over political gimmicks.” 

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – Continuing his efforts to strengthen Illinois’ gun safety laws, state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, met with the local leaders of Moms Demand Action, to discuss new legislation for this year.

Carroll met with Elaine Hauptman and Mindy Leonard, who are leaders of the local Moms Demand Action chapter, to work on the next round of gun safety measures for this term. Moms Demand Action organized one day after the horrific Sandyhook Elementary School shooting in 2012, where an armed assailant killed 28 people with an automatic assault rifle in a matter of five minutes. 

Since last summer, Illinois has adopted sweeping new gun reform laws that include gun dealer licensing, the red-flag law and a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases, which Carroll lead the charge on sponsoring.

 “Moms Demand Action is an amazing group that knows what we need to do to keep our communities safe, and I love working with the local chapter on gun safety,” Carroll said. “This is the kind of grassroots community organization that good government is built on. I want to thank Elaine and Mindy for their tireless efforts to promote commonsense gun safety reforms.”

CREST HILL, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, is highlighting a new law signed Thursday that aims to keep guns out of the wrong hands by mandating new state licensing standards for gun shops.

“For years, our state has required licenses for businesses that sell alcohol, car dealerships and other operations,” Connor said. “It makes sense that gun dealers also should follow commonsense safety standards that keep stores secure and correctly follow background check procedures.”

Connor sponsored and supported the bipartisan Senate Bill 337, also known as the Combating Illegal Gun Trafficking Act, which was signed into law Thursday by Gov. JB Pritzker. Under the new law, the Illinois State Police are empowered to certify gun dealers as well as to better track private firearm sales. Additionally, the law mandates criminal background checks for gun shop employees, creates an annual training requirement for employees to understand background checks, requires video surveillance at locations that sell guns and grants greater authority for law enforcement to inspect gun-selling businesses. 

“As a former prosecutor, requiring video evidence of transactions involving firearms is a no-brainer to curb gunrunning by providing clear documentation of who purchased a firearm that may end up in the wrong hands,” Connor said. “Too many lives have been lost due to senseless, but preventable, gun violence.”

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Focused on combating gun violence and saving lives, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, praised Thursday’s signing of commonsense licensing standards for gun dealers.

“I am thankful for the help of my colleagues and other devoted advocates in securing the passage of this bill to crack down on gun violence,” said Moylan. “We are finally taking action to place the safety of Illinois residents first, and serving with a new governor who shares this goal is extremely encouraging.”

The Moylan-backed Senate Bill 337 requires the Illinois State Police to certify gun dealers and better track private firearm sales. The new law requires criminal background checks on all gun dealer employees, creates annual training for gun shop employees who handle background checks and gives greater authority for law enforcement to visit and inspect gun dealer locations. The new law also increases accountability and oversight from gun retailers by requiring the presence of video surveillance cameras to prevent theft or other illegal activity. 

“I want to thank Rep. Moylan and all the members of the Illinois General Assembly who voted to keep illegal guns out of our communities,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention PAC (GPAC). “Our streets, communities and families will be safer now that Senate Bill 337 is the law of the land and we are grateful to all of the legislators who put public safety first.”

CHICAGO – Fighting back against gun violence and cracking down on gun dealers, state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, is highlighting new gun safety measures that are now law. 

“Gun violence occurs too often in my district and across Chicago, and it is about time we made new rules and regulations for gun dealers in Illinois,” said Harper. “Even hair salons undergo rigorous safety requirements for their customers, and leveling the playing field for firearm sellers is the least we can ask of them in order to keep the public safe from future violence.”

Harper worked to pass Senate Bill 337 in 2018, and the bill was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker today. Harper’s new law creates new safety requirements for gun dealers across Illinois. Sellers and dealers of dangerous firearms will now be required to perform background checks on their gun buyers, be required to install new security methods to prevent guns from being stolen and finally cracks down on illegal gun trafficking in the state.

Harper has worked to pass related gun safety laws, including a three-day waiting period to obtain a gun and the Lethal Violence Order of Protection, which allows family members to interevene on behalf of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and their guns temporarily confiscated while seeking help. 

“We want to thank Rep. Sonya Harper as well as all those who voted to keep illegal guns out of our communities,” said Kathleen Sances, Pres. and CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC. “The new measure will require criminal background checks and training for gun shop employees to spot illegal gun traffickers and prevent theft by requiring video surveillance of brick and mortar stores. Our streets and communities will be safer now that SB 337 is the law of the land.”

Harper represents the 6th District, which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Canaryville, New City, West Englewood, and Marquette Park.