* Press release excerpt…

Today Governor JB Pritzker announced opportunities for organizations to apply for an additional $100 million in grants to fund gun violence prevention programs in municipalities across Illinois. This funding, part of the Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA), will support nonprofit community-based organizations and local governments in 16 municipal areas outside of the City of Chicago as they work to prevent and interrupt gun violence in their communities. This $100 million builds on $113 million in funding made available in May as well as $10 million in funding surged to Chicago and other areas of the state in advance of the summer.

“This administration is delivering historic levels of violence prevention funding to interrupt violence and keep our communities safe,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I am grateful for the thoughtful work of our Local Advisory Councils in recommending community-specific solutions that can get at the root-causes of firearm violence. This funding will support on-the-ground work from people with the community knowledge and passion necessary to make substantive change.”

IDHS continues to accept applications for the $113 million in funding made available in May for violence prevention services in Chicago and youth development services statewide. Across funding sources, nearly $240 million in funding has already been committed to youth development and violence prevention efforts statewide for fiscal years FY22, FY23, and FY24. In addition to RPSA/ARPA funding, committed efforts also include ongoing funding to youth development and youth employment providers, an expansion in summer youth development services, and a unique youth engagement pilot program through Chicago Public Schools.

This new investment in Greater Illinois comes after the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) convened Local Advisory Councils (LACs) in each of the 16 RPSA eligible municipalities to make recommendations to the OFVP on how to allocate violence prevention resources in their communities. From these recommendations, OFVP designed a comprehensive Greater Illinois Funding Strategy to meet the violence prevention needs of each municipal area, taking into account local recommendations, service provider capacity, and area need.

The grants announced today will be awarded by the OFVP and will go to programs in Illinois municipalities with less than 1,000,000 residents that are disproportionately impacted by violence, based on a data-focused approach to prioritizing the highest need areas of the State. RPSA programs are specifically designed to address populations that are high risk of perpetrating or becoming victim to firearm violence.

The OFVP is releasing the $100 million in three new direct service Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), available in RPSA eligible municipalities in Greater Illinois.

Violence Prevention: For programs that include street intervention, victim services, case management, and other engagement and wrap around support services for those at highest risk of harming or being harmed by gun related violence.

Trauma Informed Behavioral Health Services: For programs that include mental and behavioral health interventions that address trauma recovery and other mental health improvements, specifically to mediate the high correlation between family adversity, trauma and violence, and subsequent involvement in gun related activity.

Youth Intervention Services: For programs that include mentoring, employment skills development, life skills development, assistance with accessing education/vocational programming and employment, as well as other activities that promote positive engagement for high-risk youth ages 11-24.

* Press release…

State Rep. Terra Costa Howard has filed a new bill, HB 5796, that would require teen FOID card holders to reapply for the card when they turn 21.

“In the wake of the tragic Highland Park mass shooting on July 4, it was painfully clear that the young man who has been charged with this terrible crime was in turmoil and should never have been legally allowed to buy deadly assault weapons,” Costa Howard said. “By requiring young people to re-apply for their FOID (Firearm Owner’s Identification) cards when they turn 21, law enforcement will have a chance to review any reports of violence or other “red flag” events and respond appropriately.”

Earlier this month, Costa Howard convened a Gun Safety Town Hall in Glen Ellyn to share factual information about Illinois’ gun laws and to hear from residents about their concerns and ideas for commonsense gun legislation.

“Again and again, we see these heartbreaking crimes committed by young adults with a documented history of threatened and actual violence, including self-harm,” Costa Howard said. “Simply requiring young adults to re-apply for FOID cards after they turn 21 will create an opportunity to spot red flags and intervene to prevent tragedies.”

Costa Howard added: “I have voted for every bill that could help to reduce gun violence and save lives in Illinois – even when my support for reasonable gun laws has made me a target for extremist gun owners across the country. I believe that reasonable and responsible gun safety laws can save lives, and I will keep on standing up for every person’s right to go to a concert, play in parks, walk down the sidewalk, shop at the grocery store, send our kids to school, or cheer at a parade without fear of gun violence. It’s time to make our voices heard.”

* Press release yesterday…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced three convictions resulting from the office’s efforts to keep guns out of the hands of prohibited purchasers. Raoul alleges that all three defendants falsified information on FOID card applications they submitted to the Illinois State Police (ISP).

“These convictions are a critical part of my office’s continued work to prevent gun violence by making sure firearms do not get into the hands of those who should not legally have them,” Raoul said. “Individuals who lie on their firearm owner’s identification card applications to obtain weapons they are not legally able to possess must be held accountable.”

Joe Burks, 66, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a Class 2 felony offense of unlawful violation of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Act and was sentenced to two years of probation and four days in county jail.

Attorney General Raoul alleged Burks knowingly entered false information on a FOID card application. In addition to responding to one of the application’s questions with false information, Raoul alleged Burks forged and submitted a document certifying his honorable discharge from active military duty. However, according to U.S. Army records, Burks was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 10 years of confinement in 1987. Illinois law prohibits individuals who have been convicted of a felony or dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces from being eligible for FOID cards. Assistant Attorneys General Steven Knight and Peter Ravoori prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.

Tyler E. Crown, 27, of Pecatonica, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a Class A misdemeanor offense of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to two years of probation and 15 days in county jail.

Raoul alleged Crown knowingly entered false information on a FOID card application. When filling out his FOID card application, Crown indicated he had not been adjudicated a delinquent minor for an offense, which had he been prosecuted as an adult, would have been a felony. However, according to Raoul, Crown had been adjudicated a delinquent minor for such an offense. Illinois law prohibits individuals who have been previously adjudicated a delinquent minor for a crime that if committed as an adult would have been a felony from being eligible for a FOID card. Assistant Attorneys General Steven Knight and Peter Ravoori prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.

Patrick S. Nichols, 60, of Taylorville, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a class 2 felony offense of unlawful violation of the Firearm Owner’s Identification Card Act and was sentenced to two years of probation and eight days in county jail.

Raoul alleged Nichols knowingly entered false information on a FOID card application by failing to disclose a prior felony conviction. Nichols was previously convicted of a crime against nature out of the state of North Carolina. Assistant Attorneys General Steven Knight and Heidi Epperson prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.

For context, Illinois has more than 2 million FOID card holders.