Reporting lost firearms within 48 hours among new gun safety measures signed into Illinois law

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WGN) — With the stroke of Governor JB Pritzker’s pen, two new gun safety measures became law Monday in Illinois.

The Safe Gun Storage Act requires gun owners to securely store their firearms when a minor or at-risk person is present.

“I’m tired of forcing our children to duck and cover because too many politicians are ducking and covering for the gun industry’s money,” Prtizker said.

“Every year, hundreds of children accidentally shoot themselves or others. In 75 percent of school shootings and 82 percent of adolescent suicides, the gun involved belongs to a family member.”

The new law also changes reporting requirements for lost or stolen guns. Instead of the current 72-hour timeframe, a gun owner has 48 hours to report their weapon missing.

“The clock starts ticking when they detect that the gun has been stolen or lost,” added Illinois State Rep. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville).

Before the Democratic supermajority in Springfield passed the bill, Republicans warned that the requirements could be unconstitutional in court.

The second new law requires firearm tracing in all cases when a gun is recovered at the scene of a crime. Currently, tracing is limited to specific scenarios.

“It’s a crucial step to close investigative roadblocks and combat violent crime in our communities,” Pritzker said.

Illinois Attorney General Kwane Raoul also weighed in on the matter.

“We’re not only capturing the bad actor who pulls the trigger, but we’re capturing those who traffic the guns into the hands of people who will do harm to our children and others with them,” Raoul said.

Over the last six years, Pritzker has signed into law various gun safety measures, including prohibiting the sale and possession of ghost guns, requiring background checks for all gun sales, and a ban on assault-style weapons.

The fight over the ban on assault-style weapons lives on, however. Also on Monday, the Illinois State Rifle Association posted a video on social media applauding President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for joining its challenge to the ban.