GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACTION COMMITTEE RELEASES 2025 GUN SAFETY REPORT CARD

Ahead of 2026 Elections, Report Card Grades Lawmaker Votes on Common Sense Safety Laws that Safeguard Against Gun Violence

CHICAGO — The Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee (GVPAction) today released its 2025 Gun Safety Report Card highlighting the state lawmakers who voted for meaningful reforms to safeguard Illinois communities from gun violence – and the lawmakers who voted for the corporate gun lobby instead.

As the 2026 legislative elections draw near, the Gun Safety Report Card is a useful tool to evaluate the commitment of state lawmakers on several laws that collectively work to create safer communities across Illinois by making it more difficult for dangerous individuals to obtain firearms, protecting children and at-risk individuals from accessing firearms in their homes, and expanding enforcement and accountability to ensure these laws are upheld. In this year’s Report Card, 60% of legislators earned an A while 30% failed.

“Gun violence remains the leading cause of death for children and teens in America. We cannot sit idly by while the disastrous effects of gun violence continue to ravage Illinois families and communities,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of GVPAction. “Our Gun Safety Report Card helps the public understand which lawmakers supported common sense safety reforms and which lawmakers sided with the gun lobby instead. In Illinois, we continue to grow the number of gun safety champions in office so that we can pass meaningful change and save lives. The fight for an Illinois free from gun violence is far from over, but there is real momentum and hope.”

The Gun Safety Report Card grades state legislators on an A-F scale on eight key pieces of legislation:

• HB0850 AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 8: Makes data public on stolen weapons and ghost guns used in crime; increases public safety measures around Firearm Owner IDs (FOID) when posing a “clear and present danger.”
• HB1373 E TRACE MANDATE: Requires Illinois law enforcement to use the federal ATF’s eTrace system for all guns used in illegal activity; requires police to join a statewide firearm data-sharing program; recognizes ATF investigators as “peace officers.”
• HB1710 HOMICIDE DATA: Requires the Illinois State police to submit homicide data quarterly, to be analyzed and made public by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.
• HB4144 KARINA’S LAW: Prohibits persons under domestic violence protection orders from possessing firearms or firearm parts; allows and establishes procedures for search warrants, safekeeping, and seizing weapons while protecting officers from liability of omission or commission when acting in good faith.
• SB0008 SAFE STORAGE ACT: Requires firearms to be stored in a locked container if minors, at-risk, or prohibited individuals may reasonably access them; firearm holders must report a lost or stolen firearm within 48 hours of discovery.
• SB1899 FOID EDUCATION & ACCESS FOR 1ST TIME OFFENDERS: Allows those in diversion programs to apply for a FOID card, which may be issued upon proof of completion of the program, given the applicant fulfills all other requirements.
• SB2002 ISP FUND CONSOLIDATION: Makes changes to how money collected from various criminal and traffic violations is distributed into Illinois State Police funds by dissolving certain funds and redistributing the remaining balances.