As soon as next month, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to deliver a setback in the work to protect survivors of domestic violence if it rules to allow abusers access to guns. But in Illinois, where state officials, advocates and other committed stakeholders have acted on myriad issues where the court has failed, we have another chance to lead.
This week presents such an opportunity. In the last days of the General Assembly’s spring session, state lawmakers can pass Karina’s Bill and put Illinois at the forefront of protecting the rights of survivors.
Karina’s Bill honors the memory of Karina Gonzalez and her 15-year-old daughter, Daniela, who were shot and killed by Gonzalez’s husband last summer, less than two weeks after Gonzalez obtained an order of protection against him.
With this bill, law enforcement will have the power to remove firearms from the homes of known abusers in cases in which domestic violence survivors obtain an order of protection against them. Under current law, this remains a voluntary process, offering little protection for those in fear for their lives when they seek out this remedy in the courts.
Gonzalez’s case is not an outlier. In fact, survivor advocates reported last week that Illinois is experiencing a dramatic escalation in calls for help to the state’s Domestic Violence Hotline. According to a report by The Network, a gender-based violence awareness advocacy group, the hotline saw a 27% increase in outreach in 2023 over the year before. Last year’s needs represented a stunning 90% increase when compared with pre-pandemic levels.
We know the danger these survivors face is exponentially greater when their abusers are armed. The Network has found that the risk of intimate-partner homicide that survivors face increases 500% when an abuser has access to a gun.
The risk is particularly high in the period after survivors take the courageous step to leave a violent relationship and file an order of protection against their abuser, as was the case for Gonzalez and her daughter.
We know the danger these survivors face is exponentially greater when their abusers are armed. The Network has found that the risk of intimate-partner homicide that survivors face increases 500% when an abuser has access to a gun.
The risk is particularly high in the period after survivors take the courageous step to leave a violent relationship and file an order of protection against their abuser, as was the case for Gonzalez and her daughter.
Our laws were not strong enough to stop the tragedy that took the lives of Gonzalez and her daughter, but we can better protect survivors of domestic violence in the future by removing firearms from the homes of known domestic violence offenders.
Illinois lawmakers can and must do better for survivors by passing Karina’s Bill. Our laws must work to protect survivors and their safety — not the rights of their abusers.
Kathleen Sances is president and CEO of the political action committee Gun Violence Prevention.
