HR0008 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0008 LRB100 04178 RLC 14184 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to lessen the illegal acquisition of firearms in the State; and

WHEREAS, Many criminals obtain firearms illegally through theft from freight rail cars; and

WHEREAS, We wish to decrease the amount of firearms illegally acquired through freight theft; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is statistically in the top ten states for freight theft nationwide; and

WHEREAS, There were 2,987 shooting victims in the City of Chicago in 2015; someone in Chicago was shot at a rate of one every 2.93 hours in 2015 and as of December 1, 2016 there have been 4,089 shooting victims in 2016 resulting in a shooting on average every 1.97 hours; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 200,000 guns are reported stolen, lost, or missing in the United States every year; and

WHEREAS, Freight logistics security organizations recorded 754 cargo thefts throughout the United States in 2015; and

WHEREAS, The safety and security of our communities should be at the forefront of legislative measures; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to strengthen national freight laws for cars carrying firearms across state lines; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the members of the Illinois congressional delegation.