For Immediate Release
May 29, 2025
GUN SAFETY LEGISLATION ‘SAFE AT HOME’ PASSES GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Legislators, G-PAC & Advocates Laud Passage of SB 8 to Protect Children, Teens, At-Risk People from Gun Violence
SPRINGFIELD — The Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois (G-PAC), the state’s leading gun safety organization, joined with lawmakers today to applaud the General Assembly’s passage of Safe At Home to protect more children and at-risk and prohibited people from accessing guns in Illinois.
House members voted 69-40 late Wednesday to pass Safe At Home (Senate Bill 8) led by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and sponsoring Representatives Maura Hirschauer and Kevin Olickal. Safe At Home now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for consideration.
“The passage of Safe At Home is a significant step to protecting children, teens and the most vulnerable among us from the tragedy of gun violence,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of G-PAC. “We are incredibly grateful to President Harmon, Speaker Welch, and our sponsors, Sens. Laura Ellman and Ram Villivalam and Reps. Maura Hirschauer and Kevin Olickal. Rooted in responsible gun ownership, Safe At Home reflects our shared commitment to enacting common-sense gun safety laws in Illinois to keep our loved ones and our communities safer.”
SB 8 would better promote responsible gun ownership in Illinois by enhancing what it means to safely store weapons and strengthening reporting requirements for lost and stolen guns. Working together, these safety measures will protect more children, at-risk and prohibited people from accessing deadly weapons, targeting an increasing number of instances of accidental shootings, suicide, mass shootings, and crime and violence in Illinois communities.
“I am incredibly proud that Illinois is once again building on its record of leading the country in passing common sense safety measures to ensure we better protect children, teens and people who should not have access to guns,” Rep. Hirschauer said.
“The research shows that Senate Bill 8 will prevent unintentional shootings, suicide, mass shootings, and crime in our communities and save lives,” said Rep. Olickal.
Provisions of Safe At Home include:
- Outlines improved safe storage requirements in homes where a minor, at-risk person, or someone prohibited from using firearms could gain access to them.
- Changes definition of “minor” to a person under 18 years of age (military and national guard excluded).
- Adds civil penalties associated with the failure to safely secure firearms; at first violation, courts may impose community service or restitution.
- Strengthens requirement for reporting a lost or stolen firearm from 72 to 48 hours after the owner first discovers the loss or theft.
- Requires education for gun owners of the obligation to report a lost or stolen firearm at the time of firearm purchase and FOID/CCL application and renewal process.
- Requires ISP to create a portal for law enforcement to report individuals who have failed to report the loss or theft of a firearm.
- Imposes penalty of revocation of FOID card on second violation for failure to report lost and stolen firearms.
Read the research behind Safe At Home and more details in G-PAC’s fact sheet.
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