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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In the United States, gun violence is a public
3health epidemic of enormous scope; violence, particularly gun
4violence, is a major public health problem and a leading cause
5of premature death; gun violence is the number one cause of
6death for children in the United States; on average, 110
7people are killed every day in the United States by gun
8violence; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The U.S. experienced a record number of gun
10deaths and gun sales in 2020; 45,222 people died from
11gun-related injuries in the U.S., and gunshot wounds were the
12leading cause of death for kids and teens under 19 years of
13age; and
 
14    WHEREAS, When a child is shot and killed, decades of
15potential are lost, including the potential to grow up, to
16have a family, to contribute to society, and to pursue their
17passions in life; in 2018, firearm deaths accounted for
18919,185 years of potential life lost before the age of 65; this
19total of potential years lost is more than the combination of
20years lost by diabetes, strokes, and liver disease; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The cost of gun violence takes a large toll on the
22economy; Harvard Medical School researchers found that gun

 

 

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1violence costs the U.S. approximately $557 billion annually or
22.6 percent of gross domestic product; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Gun violence costs Illinois $18.6 billion each
4year, including $625.5 million of which is paid by taxpayers;
5Illinois has the 40th highest societal cost of gun violence in
6the U.S. at $1,468 per resident each year; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Gun violence disproportionately affects the Black
8community; gun violence affects all children, but children of
9color are at greatest risk; most shooting deaths go
10unmentioned in national discourse and continue to
11disproportionately impact Black communities; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Young Black men are 20 times more likely to be
13killed by a gun than young white men; between 2019 and 2020,
14gun deaths and homicides increased by 39.5 percent among Black
15people, and Black men ages 15 to 34 were more than 20 times as
16likely to be killed with a gun than white men of the same age;
17the number of Black women killed by guns also increased by 50
18percent in the same time period; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In 2019, Black Americans represented 14 percent
20of the nation's population yet accounted for 52 percent of all
21homicide victims; in 2019, Illinois was second in the entire
22nation among states for Black homicide victimization rate; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, A Black person's life expectancy on average is
2less when compared to a white person's life expectancy; when
3comparing life expectancy in Chicago's Austin neighborhood to
4the Chicago Loop, there is a difference of 11 years between
5Black life expectancy of 71 years and white life expectancy of
682 years; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The devastation gun violence inflicts on Black
8teens and adults is a crisis that should be a top priority for
9policymakers; a critical part of ending the gun violence
10epidemic will involve reducing homicides in the Black
11community; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Wrap around services are needed to address the
13impact of gun violence and prevent future gun violence;
14medical care, including safety net hospitals, mental health
15treatment, including inpatient and outpatient behavioral
16health, affordable housing, economic empowerment such as jobs,
17childcare, and cultural awareness, and nutrition, including
18access to healthy and affordable food, education, and public
19safety are the basic essentials of a quality life; services
20must be accessible, and education and awareness efforts about
21available services must be offered; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Many violence and gun violence prevention

 

 

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1programs and services are in existence, including trauma
2centers, wrap around services, family resource centers, RPSA,
3R3-ICEJA, coordinated care for various co-morbidities, medical
4treatment, mental health crisis, public health crisis, burial
5assistance, and grantee income programs; these programs and
6services make up a significant investment in public safety and
7trauma recovery in the 2023 budget; with all of this in place,
8violence and gun violence are still at public health crisis
9levels, and more must be done; therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
11HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12as the General Assembly works to ban assault weapons it should
13also endeavor to provide victim services before and after acts
14of violence; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That the General Assembly should strive to
16provide consistent appropriation for State agencies to provide
17support systems that wrap around the basic essentials of life
18and reduce violence occurring in communities; and be it
19further
 
20    RESOLVED, That this approach to violence and gun violence
21needs to be addressed through a comprehensive approach and a
22lens of equity that includes but is not limited to
23communications and messaging, education and training,

 

 

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1treatment and counseling, grantee income programs, trauma
2centers and family resource centers, affordable housing and
3healthcare, community engagement and leadership, outreach and
4awareness, and wrap around services and community health
5workers; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That the General Assembly herein voices its
7support for continued appropriations intended to stem the
8ever-rising incidents of violence in Illinois, including but
9not limited to medical and mental health services, training
10and education, trauma informed treatment and care, economic
11investments for victims of gun violence and their families,
12and communications messaging on how to access resources.