Illinois Democrats introduce gun violence prevention program

[February 02, 2024]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Gov J.B. Pritzker and Illinois' other elected Democratic leaders on Thursday introduced the SC2 initiative, which looks to stop gun violence in the city of Chicago.

The initiative comes after two teenagers were shot and killed over the weekend in the heart of the city. According to Chicago police statistics, shootings are up 14% in the city over the last four years.

During an assembly with elected officials from state and local government in Chicago, Pritzker laid out the goals of a new anti-violence initiative.

"SC2 will carry this work much further. Scaling community violence intervention for a safer Chicago is an unprecedented effort to gather government stakeholders and community organizations, private stakeholders to meet the needs of those most at risk of gun violence," Pritzker said. "This has been years in the making and no other city or state in the nation has a partnership as robust as this one."

Illinois House Speaker Emmanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, laid out what the initiative will do.

"We are making communities safer with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding going toward community-based violence prevention and community providers that organize after-school programs, youth summer jobs and enriching opportunities," Welch said. "We are giving police and prosecutors the financial support they need to implement necessary and long overdue criminal justice reforms."

According to the Chicago violent crime tracker website HeyJackass, 27 people were shot and killed in the city in January, and an additional 121 were shot and wounded. Both figures are down from the same period last year.

Pritzker said the state has been making strides at stopping gun violence, but more needs to be done.

"We banned ghost guns, and we banned rapid-fire switches, and we ended the sale of high capacity magazines. We instituted universal background checks on all gun purchasers, and we increased the duration of our red flag laws. But you all know that the red flag laws are not enough," Pritzker said. "You all know that limiting the implements of violence isn't nearly enough."

The state's gun and magazine ban continues to be challenged in court on grounds it's unconstitutional.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the anti-violence initiative will be a collaborative effort.

"Chicago is leading the way in showing the country what it looks like to invest in people," Johnson said. "In the spirit of collaboration in December, I announced the people's plan for community safety, my administration's commitment to a people, place-based approach to addressing the root causes of harm and violence."