Safe storage, lost and stolen bill a ‘hot mess,’ Illinois rifle association says

[October 15, 2024]  By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Efforts are under way by gun control groups to enhance Illinois’ gun storage and lost and stolen reporting laws. A gun rights group says the proposals are a “hot mess.”

Illinois legislators return for fall veto session the week after the Nov. 5 election.

In a news release, the Gun Violence Prevention PAC, G-PAC, said when legislators are in session, they should act on a package of bills making gun storage and lost and stolen reporting laws more strict.

“The Safe At Home legislation will address the sobering realities that today, there are more guns in our country than people, and every one in three children lives in a home with a gun,” a statement from G-PAC President and CEO Kathleen Sances says. “There is mounting evidence that the risk of unintentional shootings, mass shootings and suicide can be significantly reduced if we make simple changes in our laws to keep us all Safe At Home.”

House Bill 5891, from state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, would increase the age to 18 from 14 for when a firearm must be secured inside a location where a minor is present. Leaving in place that a firearm must be placed in a securely locked box or container, the proposal strikes a provision from law that a firearm can be “placed in some other locations that a responsible person would believe to be secure from a minor.”

“We must act to prevent access to deadly weapons by minors and people who should not have access to guns,” Hirschauer said in a statement.

A similar bill is Senate Bill 3971.

Illinois State Rifle Association lobbyist Ed Sullivan said the proposal also requires firearms be locked up if there are any “prohibited persons” in the residence.

“Anybody in the state of Illinois that does not have a [Firearm Owner’s ID] card is a prohibited person,” Sullivan told The Center Square. “And so there’s over 10 million people that are prohibited persons [in Illinois]. There’s no criminal damage. They're not criminals. They’re not mentally challenged. They just don’t have a FOID card.”

Sullivan said those interested in encouraging safe storage could try something different.

“I can think of two separate legislators who have introduced language who make it cheaper to buy a safe or do some type of tax credit to buy safes and they’ve never moved forward,” Sullivan said. “So, here are the Democrats that want you to buy safes to have safe storage and yet they do nothing to make it easier to buy them.”

Another element of the package is House Bill 5888 from state Rep. Kevin Olickal, D-Skokie, which would reduce the timeframe someone has to report lost or stolen firearms to police from 72 hours to 48 hours, among other changes.

“Stolen firearms are a major driver of violent crime, with lost guns being three times more likely to be used in crimes, and stolen guns nine times more likely,” Olickal said in a statement. “The Safe at Home legislation will improve reporting requirements, ensuring we can quickly track these weapons and prevent them from endangering our communities.”

Sullivan said such requirements are unworkable. What will advance, if anything, is unclear, as some other provisions Sullivan has seen floated would increase liability for victims of stolen firearms if their stolen property is used in a crime.

“They have a section that basically says if someone broke into my home and steals a gun and kills somebody, I can be … charged a fine of $10,000, but then that person’s family could take me to court,” Sullivan said. “That’s a big, big problem.”

The six scheduled days for the fall legislative session begin Nov. 12.