HJ0051 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0051 LRB096 12504 KXB 25579 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Gun violence and illegal interstate firearms trafficking have become growing problems in all portions of the State of Illinois, other areas of the Midwest, and throughout the nation; and

WHEREAS, Children and students are too often the victims of gun crimes, in their homes, on our streets and before, after, and during school hours; and

WHEREAS, Since the current school year started in September 2008, twentynine Chicago Public School students have been shot and killed; and

WHEREAS, In Gun Violence: The Real Costs, a book written by Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, the data collected by the authors show the cost of security in Chicago public high schools to be $41 million a year, and the costs of security in suburban and downstate Illinois schools are similarly rising rapidly; and

WHEREAS, Since the federal ban on assault weapons was lifted in 2004, the Chicago Police Department has seized 1,547 such weapons; and

WHEREAS, According to a five-year study conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 43% of all guns seized within five police districts in the City of Chicago originated in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, The total cost of gun violence in Chicago is estimated to be $2.5 billion each year, according to the report Gun Violence among School Age Youth in Chicago, prepared by The University of Chicago Crime Lab, representing a cost to every household in Chicago of about $2,500 each year; and

WHEREAS, There is an enormous number of illegal guns in Chicago, other areas of Illinois, and throughout the Midwest, and 80% of murder victims in Chicago are killed by guns; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Interstate Gun Trafficking Task Force within the Illinois State Police, to consist of the following: (1) the Director of State Police or his designee; (2) the Illinois Attorney General or her designee; (3) the Cook County States Attorney or her designee; (4) the Sheriff of Cook County or his designee; (5) the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department or his designee; (6) three appointees of the Governor who are representatives of federal, suburban or downstate law enforcement officials; and (7) three appointees of the Mayor of the City of Chicago who are representatives of law enforcement officials, foundations, or institutions of higher education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That all appointments shall be made no later than 45 days following adoption of this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study measures that help reduce illegal interstate gun trafficking in Illinois and the harmful effects of such activity; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall choose its chair and other officers and meet at the call of the chair; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from funds appropriated for that purpose; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on or before December 31, 2010; and be it further

RESOLVED, That legislatures of other states in the Midwest are encouraged to create interstate gun trafficking task forces in their respective states, which task forces may cooperate with the Task Force created by this resolution and with each other; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, the President of the Illinois Senate, the Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, the Governor of the State of Illinois, and the Director of the Illinois State Police.