Pritzker signs new law aimed to prevent gun violence in Illinois

CHICAGO - Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed new legislation on Monday in Illinois.

The governor signed the bill in Aurora alongside gun-safety advocates and family members of those killed in mass shootings.

The legislation expands background checks to all gun sales in Illinois starting in 2024 and invests in community-based mental health programs in communities most impacted by gun violence.

"Prior to this change, people with dangerous histories who shouldn't possess a weapon, and the Illinois State Police denies firearms licenses to thousands of these individuals a year, could avoid detection through a private sale. That's a deadly loophole," said Gov. Pritzker.

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It also streamlines the FOID card system, requires Illinois State Police to remove guns from people with revoked FOID cards who have not surrendered their weapon and creates a stolen gun database, among other things.

This is the latest effort by the Pritzker administration to address gun violence as a public health crisis and it comes after another violent weekend in Chicago.

"HB562 will save lives and save families from experiencing the loss and pain that my family lives with every day," said Gov. Pritzker.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown spoke Monday about the city's focus on getting illegal guns off the streets.

"We are focused on recovering these guns and taking these guns out of the hands of repeat violent offenders," Brown said. "And our focus has yielded a historic pace of gun recoveries. We are on pace to be above 12,000 guns recovered in the city, which would be an historic high."

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The law takes effect on January 1, 2022, except universal background checks which take effect January 1, 2024.