JB Pritzker signs two gun safety bills into law, including fines for improper storage – Washington Examiner
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed two new gun safety laws into effect. The first, the Safe Gun Storage Act, requires gun owners to securely lock firearms in situations where minors or individuals prohibited from owning guns-such as those at risk of suicide or unable to legally purchase firearms-could access them.Violations can lead to fines up to $10,000 and potential misdemeanor charges if a stored firearm is used in a crime or causes injury or death. The second law mandates that law enforcement agencies use a federal firearm tracing system to track guns recovered in crimes or suspected of criminal involvement, aiding investigations. Pritzker emphasized that these measures aim to prevent avoidable tragedies by enforcing basic safety protections rather than restricting gun ownership.
JB Pritzker signs two gun safety bills into law, including fines for improper storage
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) signed two pieces of legislation on gun safety into law on Monday.
The Safe Gun Storage Act requires gun owners to keep their firearms in a locked box in situations or places where a minor could gain access to them. The second piece of legislation requires law enforcement agencies throughout the state to use a federal firearm tracing system to track guns and help in investigations.
“I’m tired, frankly, of treating something completely preventable as inevitable. I’m tired of hearing thoughts and prayers and then nothing gets done, so Illinois is standing up and doing something about it,” Pritzker said on Monday before signing the bills.
“The legislation we celebrate today is not about taking things away from people. It’s about mandating simple protections that will save lives, because too often guns end up in the hands of those who can’t understand the power of the object they hold,” Democratic Lt. Gov. Julia Stratton said.
Under the new storage law, gun owners found in violation could be fined up to $10,000 if the gun is used in a crime or results in injury or death. It could also result in misdemeanor criminal charges.
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In addition to minors, the new law also applies to weapons that are left unsecured around people who are legally banned from purchasing a gun, as well as those considered at risk of suicide or causing physical harm to themselves or others.
The second law requires firearms to be traced in all instances where a gun is recovered at the scene of a crime or if it is believed to be associated with a crime.
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