Illinois Senators Introduce Gun Control Bill Named For Hadiya Pendleton
By Samantha Abernethy in News on Mar 5, 2013 11:20PM
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced a measure designed to curb gun violence by cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchases of firearms. The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013, prepared by a bipartisan group of senators, is a multifaceted approach to preventing illegal gun ownership, and a portion of it is named for slain Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton.
"For Hadiya and thousands of other victims, my hope is we can break through the gridlock here in Washington to actually get something done to save lives," said Sen. Kirk in a statement.
From a statement released by Sen. Kirk:
The bipartisan measure specifically prohibits the trafficking and straw purchase of firearms, with violators facing up to 15 years imprisonment or 25 years imprisonment if the defendant knew or had reasonable cause to believe that any firearm involved would be used to commit a crime of violence. The bill also toughens penalties for those who possess firearms in violation of existing law or who sell firearms to those prohibited purchasers.
Reports show the more than 13,000 illegal guns confiscated annually by Chicago Police often come from the non-Chicago part of Cook County, but also shows a pipeline from Mississippi.
The bill goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, and it is expected to hit the Senate floor in April. As for the House, well, that's a bit less predictable.