The Illinois chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement applauding Governor J.B. Pritzker for signing HB 1092, a bill to strengthen Illinois’ firearm restraining order law, into law Friday evening.
“Governor Pritzker continues to prove his commitment to taking real action to address the gun violence crisis,” said Rhiannon Jimenez, a volunteer leader with the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This expansion of our current firearm restraining order law can save lives from preventable gun violence like gun suicides and mass shootings. We are grateful to have lawmakers and leaders who will stand up for public safety and fight for actions that will protect our communities.”
“We are proud to have leaders like Governor Pritzker who continue to stand up and take steps toward keeping our communities safe from gun violence,” said Lily Cohen, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Illinois. “This expansion of our current law will ensure those who pose a risk to themselves or others don’t have easy access to a gun while they get the help they need. This lifesaving law will help make Illinois a safer place to live and we are thankful to the leaders who fought alongside us to make this law a reality.”
Volunteers with the Illinois chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action showed up and turned out to help get this bill across the finish line. Volunteers sent emails to their lawmakers urging them to support HB 1092.
HB 1092 strengthens the state’s current Extreme Risk law, known in Illinois as the Firearm Restraining Order (FRO) law, by:
- Implementing an education program to promote awareness to the general public.
- Developing a standard curriculum for police officer training on the current law.
- Allowing FROs to be filed in a court in any county in the state where an incident that could give rise to a FRO occurred.
- Expanding the definition of family members to include former spouses, who often witness or are the victims of threatening or violent conduct involving firearms.
Every year 1,400 people are shot and killed in Illinois. Gun violence costs Illinois $10.6 billion each year, of which $668.9 million is paid by taxpayers. Read about gun violence in Illinois here.