Illinois Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Commitment to Gun Safety
The Illinois chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after the Illinois Senate passed HB 4729, legislation that would require the Department of Public Health to develop and implement a comprehensive 2-year statewide secure gun storage public awareness campaign. The bill now moves to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law. State Representative Maura Hirschauer, a former Moms Demand Action volunteer, sponsored the legislation while it was in the House of Representatives.
“We’re proud that our lawmakers continue to prove their commitment to gun safety by prioritizing legislation, like this bill, and taking meaningful action to address our state’s gun violence crisis,” said Cameron Baltrum, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Illinois. “Secure storage education is a lifesaving measure that can reduce prevent gun violence by preventing youth access to firearms, which can address school shootings, unintentional shootings, and gun suicide, before it happens. It’s critical that all gun owners are informed about the importance of secure storage – Governor Pritzker should quickly sign this bill into law.”
Nationwide, an estimated 54 percent of gun owners don’t lock all of their guns securely and it’s estimated that 4.6 million children live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded gun.. Gun owners can make their homes and communities safer by storing their guns securely — unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.
According to Everytown’s new gun law rankings report, Illinois has the sixth strongest gun safety laws in the country and is a national leader in enacting gun violence prevention laws. Learn more about gun violence in Illinois here.
