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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF KARINA’S BILL
WHEREAS, in June of 2023, Karina Gonzalez filed a complaint with the Ogden district police station and said her husband, Jose Alvarez, had a gun and had threatened to kill her; and
WHEREAS, in the days that followed, Gonzalez was granted an order of protection against Alvarez banning him from their home; and
WHEREAS, Chicago police filed a clear and present danger report on him, and Illinois State Police revoked and confiscated his firearm owner’s identification (FOID) card; and
WHEREAS, however, Alvarez was still in the home and still had his Glock 9mm handgun when on July 3, 2023, prosecutors say he fatally shot Gonzalez and his 15-year-old daughter while wounding his 18-year-old son; and
WHEREAS, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office report “A Firearm Regulation Crisis”, in Cook County, 39,719 FOIDs were revoked or suspended at the end of 2023, and 27,043 (68%) had not turned in the required Firearm Disposition Record; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2003 study “Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships”, abusers with firearms are five times more likely to kill their female victims; and
WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2019 National Violent Death Reporting System, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month; and
WHEREAS, in domestic violence cases, the presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of a homicide by 500%, according to a 2022 report from the Network; and
WHEREAS, according to The Network’s analysis of statistics compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, Illinois saw a near-doubling of domestic violence shooting deaths from 2020 to 2023; and
WHEREAS, under current state law, there is still no clear process for removing a gun after an order of protection has been issued, according to domestic violence prevention advocates; and
WHEREAS, Illinois House Bill 4469 (HB 4469) and Senate Bill 2633 (SB 2633), or Karina’s Bill, was introduced in January of this year in response to the tragic death of Karina Gonzalez; and
WHEREAS, Karina’s Bill amends the Protective Orders Article of the Code of Criminal Procedures of 1963 and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act to provide that firearms must be surrendered or confiscated within four days of a victim being granted a domestic violence order of protection against their abuser and explicitly allows a judge to issue a search warrant for those weapons when law enforcement goes to serve the order of protection; and
WHEREAS, the bill also provides clear probable cause requirements for firearm seizure, including: (1) that the respondent possesses firearms, ammunition, or firearm parts that could be assembled to make an operable firearm; (2) that the respondent poses a danger of causing personal injury to the petitioner or child and that the danger is imminent and present; and (3) that firearms, ammunition, or firearm parts that could be assembled to make an operable firearm are located at the residence, vehicle, or other property of the respondent; and
WHEREAS, the legislation would also allow federally-licensed gun dealers to store any guns seized or surrendered by someone under a domestic violence order of protection with the firearm remedy; and
WHEREAS, the bill had stalled awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding a federal law that bars those under domestic violence-related restraining orders from owning guns; and
WHEREAS, in June of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court went on to uphold that federal law, publishing their opinion on the one-year anniversary of Gonzalez’s order of protection against her husband; and
WHEREAS, a coalition of over 40 advocacy groups are leading the charge for this bill on the grassroots level, and are now urging for Karina’s Bill to be passed during the Illinois Legislature's Fall Veto Session; and
WHEREAS, Cook County remains committed to supporting and empowering its residents impacted by gender-based violence and advocating for access to the services that address this ongoing need in our communities;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby declare its support for the Illinois Legislature to pass HB 4469 & SB 2633, or Karina’s Bill, during its Fall Session; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Governor of Illinois, the Illinois Senate President and Minority Leader, the Illinois House Speaker and Minority Leader, the members of the Illinois Rules Committee, Chief Sponsor and Senator Celina Villanueva, and Chief Sponsor and Representative Maura Hirschauer.
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