Law Enforcement Officials, Gun Violence Prevention Advocates and Experts, Survivors Testify on the Urgency of Passing Gun Safety Legislation at Third Committee Hearing

December 20, 2022

CHICAGO, IL - The House Judiciary-Criminal Committee on Tuesday held its third public hearing on HB5855, the Protect Illinois Communities Act. At the hearing, leading law enforcement officials from the Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Chicago Police Department, and the City of Chicago testified to the ways HB5855 stands to reduce gun violence in communities across Illinois. Representatives from gun control advocacy organizations Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady United, and Gun Violence Prevention PAC, presented evidence in support of the Protect Illinois Communities Act while gun violence survivors also shared their testimonies.  

“We need something done now. Now, we need it done now. The lethality is absolutely amazing….Innocent people all around are going to get slaughtered…These things are designed for that. There is no sane person who’s going to sit there and say ‘In our society we should have these,’” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. “We all will be judged by history. We will. And I’ll tell you what, 100 years from now when they look at this era and what was going on and the violence upon our children and innocent people each and everyday, they’re gonna look back on us and history is not going to be kind.”

“18 years ago, the federal assault weapons ban ended, and since then, our streets and our neighborhoods have been flooded with weapons of war...These weapons have entered our schools, our places of worship, our theaters, our parades, and our peaceful community spaces with one objective: to create mass carnage.” said Deputy Mayor of Chicago, Elena Gottreich. “Assault weapons are designed to inflict maximum tissue damage in the shortest amount of time…there is no reason to have that much ammunition. The results are beyond horrific.”

Alison Shih of Everytown for Gun Safety and Anneliese Dickman of Brady United discussed their ongoing commitment to passing common sense gun reform such as the Protect Illinois Communities Act and the necessity for the legislation in Illinois. John Schmidt of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC, who played an instrumental role in the creation and implementation of the 1994 federal assault weapons ban, testified to the efficacy of keeping high capacity magazines and assault weapons out of the wrong hands.

Po Murray from Newtown Action Alliance and Aalayah Eastmond, a survivor of the Parkland shooting and member of Team Enough, shared their personal experiences with gun violence and their work to prevent future tragedies. Dr. Deanna Behrens, a pediatric physical care physician and expert in reducing the burden of gun violence on children in Illinois, discussed her findings.

“While we wait for Congress to do its job, the Illinois General Assembly must act to prevent another mass shooting incident,” said Po Murray, chair of Newtown Action Alliance. ”We cannot restore the soul of our nation until weapons of war are no longer easily available."

The Protect Illinois Communities Act, introduced by Rep. Bob Morgan earlier this month, includes legislation that would ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, facilitate better implementation and efficacy of Illinois’s Firearm Restraining Order (FRPO) law, raise the minimum age to obtain a FOID card to 21, and address illegal gun trafficking in the state. 

A poll released by Everytown for Gun Safety earlier this month demonstrated that these gun safety measures have widespread support across the state. Overall, 52% of Illinoisans believe gun laws in Illinois should be stronger, including nearly three quarters of Black voters and 56% of Hispanic voters. A ban on assault weapons has the support of 58% of Illinoisans and two-thirds of voters support increasing the minimum age to obtain a FOID card from 18 to 21.