* Governor Pritzker…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 4144
, also known as Karina’s Law, a measure to improve protections for victims of domestic violence. The law allows local law enforcement agencies to promptly confiscate firearms from any individual whose Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card has been revoked due to restraining orders (often put in place to protect victims after law enforcement is made aware of abuse).

Karina’s Law is named for Karina Gonzalez, a mother who was granted an order of protection against her husband, Jose Alvarez, weeks before he shot both her and their teenage daughter, Daniela, in July 2023. During the incident, Alvarez also shot their son, who survived and lobbied for the General Assembly to pass the law in his mother’s name.

“Protecting victims of domestic violence is a cause that’s taking a giant leap forward today,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Karina’s law will protect survivors of domestic violence and give them the comfort of knowing their abuser will not have easy access to firearms. We owe it to Karina and Daniela — to Manny — and to all the victims and their families, to continue building all the support and protection that we can.”

Legislation specifies that law enforcement agencies would be required to remove firearms, firearm parts, and firearm identification/licenses from individuals whose FOID cards are revoked due to restraining orders within 96 hours of a judge issuing a search warrant, addressing the risks associated with firearms and domestic violence situations.

“Karina’s law is a pivotal victory in the fight to protect Illinois’ people from gun-related domestic violence. Above all, this bill is a testament to the voices of survivors and advocates who led their leaders toward new solutions,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Karina and Daniela had dreams and aspirations beyond the violence in their home — their lives mattered, and they should be alive today. I thank every advocate and survivor for baring their hearts to inspire change.”

“Every day, the Illinois State Police and our partners in local police and sheriffs departments are pushing as hard as we can to get guns away from violent individuals,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Karina’s Law will be an important new tool to help us disrupt domestic violence that too often ends with a gun.”

“Karina’s Law is about saving lives and ensuring survivors of domestic violence have the protection they need,” said chief sponsor Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago). “No one should have to live in fear because of gaps in our laws. This law strengthens protections for survivors by allowing law enforcement to act swiftly in removing firearms from dangerous situations. I am proud to champion this bill in honor of Karina and Daniela, and to help make Illinois a safer place for families.”

“This bill is about protecting survivors. And most importantly, it is about valuing women’s lives more than we value guns. After years of fighting in Springfield and in the courts, and after extensive negotiation and advocacy, the passage of Karina’s Bill marks a significant step forward in protecting domestic violence survivors from firearms,” said chief sponsor Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia). “This survivor-centered bill honors the memory of Karina Gonzalez and her daughter Daniela who were murdered by an abuser who should have never had access to a firearm. Everyone who dreams of a future without gender-based violence knows that we cannot erase tragedies in the past, but we can and we must work to build a better future in memory of victims, survivors, and all who love them. The passage of Karina’s Bill is a long overdue step in that direction.”

Over the past six years, the Pritzker administration has made numerous strides towards protecting survivors of domestic violence. Past actions include:

- Signing the Illinois Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA), which allows victims to take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid time off during any 12-month period,
- Requiring Illinois public schools to have at least one staffer trained to respond to disclosures of domestic violence with trauma-informed and survivor-centered support,
- Signing Senate Bill 399, which allows survivors to omit their address from court filings if it would risk their family’s safety,
- Creating Colton’s Taskforce and the Success in School Task Force to comprehensively review processes and operations when it comes to enforcing domestic violence laws across the State.

* G-PAC President and CEO Kathleen Sances…

“Today, Gov. Pritzker put Illinois at the forefront of protecting survivors of domestic violence by signing Karina’s Bill into law. We are incredibly grateful for the commitment of Karina’s family, who for over a year fought to make a difference and honor her memory and the memory of her daughter. Because of their work and the leadership of the governor, House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch, Senate President Don Harmon, Senator Celina Villanueva and Representative Maura Hirschauer and the hard work of tireless advocates at The Network and the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition, more Illinois women and families will be safe from domestic violence.”

…Adding… Amanda Pyron, President and CEO of The Network…

“Today marks a critically important step forward for domestic violence survivors across Illinois. Thanks to Karina’s Law, survivors will have clear recourse to request the removal of firearms when going to the courts, judges will have clear guidelines to act upon those requests, and law enforcement will have clear guidance to carry out firearm removals. When survivors go to the courts for protection, we must ensure that protection works. Karina’s Law will help our justice system make good on that promise.

“On behalf of The Network, thank you to Gov. JB Pritzker, our sponsors Rep. Maura Hirschauer and Sen. Celina Villanueva, as well as Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Chris Welch. We would also like to thank Legal Action Chicago and the more than 40 advocacy groups that made their voices heard on this issue, including domestic violence advocates, gun violence prevention advocates, medical providers, community groups, and many more.

“We are especially indebted to the family of Karina Gonzalez, including Manny and Maria Alvarez, for their incredible advocacy in the wake of unspeakable loss. While this legislation will not bring back Karina, Daniela, or the many others who have lost their lives to domestic gun violence, it will absolutely save lives in the years to come.

“While today is a historic moment in the fight against domestic and gender-based violence in our state, there is still more work ahead of us, especially with the concerning actions from the incoming presidential administration and the post-pandemic increase in domestic gun violence. The passage and signing of Karina’s Law makes clear that our lawmakers in Illinois, from the local level to the state legislature to the Governor, are taking action to ensure our state is a leader in the fight against domestic violence. This law is a clear signal to survivors that they are believed, heard, and trusted in addressing their needs as they escape the cycle of abuse. In Illinois, we stand with survivors.

“We will work with the advocates, the courts, and law enforcement to ensure a smooth implementation of Karina’s Law. We also look forward to continuing to collaborate with lawmakers locally and in Springfield to provide the strongest possible protections to survivors and their families.”

* During the press conference, reporters asked about the logistics of the law…

Reporter: I know that Sen. Villanueva talked about complexities, logistics of passing the law. One of the big issues early on, at least last spring, was this issue about storage. Where was law enforcement going to store these weapons that they’ve confiscated. Was that issue ever resolved?

Sen. Villanueva: In Cook County we’ve actually gotten a lot of support from Tom Dart, and their office is ready to go to be able to do it. I think the coordination was obviously for more rural areas. And so there’s been a lot of conversations that we’ll be continuing as we lead to implementation of the bill. But like I said, certain areas are a lot more well equipped at the moment, and it’s one of the reasons we’ll continue to be having conversations with folks, the advocates are actually working on making sure all of this happens.

Director of policy, advocacy and research for The Network, Maralea Negron: We did include a provision in the final language that allows for a third party transfer petition process, so that once the firearms are relinquished to law enforcement in that immediate kind of urgent time frame, there’s a process for those firearms to not stay with law enforcement, but to go to someone else who the judge has decided is okay to have possession of those firearms.

This allows for a judge to make a determination that it is, in fact, safe for a third party to take possession. But immediately those firearms are removed from that situation, that household. And then there is a petition process.

Reporter: Can you describe how that is going to happen? This order is issued what happens next to get those guns?

Negron: Yeah, so immediately the firearms are in law enforcement possession. So they’ve either been relinquished to law enforcement or there has been a search warrant issued where law enforcement have gone and retrieved those firearms. Then at subsequent hearings, the respondent to the order of protection can start to that process, the petition process to ask that their firearms be given to a third party. A judge then has to make a determination that that third party does not reside in the home with the respondent. That this respondent, the third party petitioner, is going to be responsible for the firearms. They understand the legalities of that, what that means to be responsible and have position possession of those firearms, and then that that transfer can happen accordingly with law enforcement and the petitioner, the third party petitioner.

Reporter: So the individual, the defendant I guess in this case, either brings those weapons to court-

Negron: At the initial stage, correct, and then there is a third party petition process that addresses the question of the prior speaker who asked kind of what did we include in the final legislation to address the storage concerns. And we addressed it by allowing a third party petition process.

Reporter: And would it be the county who would execute that search warrant?

Negron: It really just depends on jurisdiction. We did allow for flexibility for a judge to determine if it’s best for local law enforcement, so municipal level, county level, or if there are situations where it’s multi-jurisdictional.

Please pardon all transcription errors.