Cunningham bill to track down illegal gun traffickers signed into law – Illinois Senate Democrats

Illinois Legislation on Firearm Tracing Aligns with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Strengthening Legal Frameworks for Public Safety

A new law, House Bill 1373, has been enacted in Illinois to provide law enforcement with more robust tools for tracing illegal firearms. This legislative measure directly supports the global effort to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those focused on peace, justice, and community safety.

Direct Contribution to SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The legislation is a significant step toward fulfilling the objectives of SDG 16, which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable institutions. The law’s impact on this goal includes:

• Target 16.1: A primary objective of the law is to significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates by disrupting the supply of illegal firearms used in violent crimes.
• Target 16.4: By mandating comprehensive firearm tracing, the law directly addresses the goal of significantly reducing illicit arms flows and combating organized crime, particularly gun trafficking networks.
• Strengthening Institutions: The measure enhances the capacity and effectiveness of state law enforcement agencies by ensuring they utilize every available resource, thereby building stronger and more accountable institutions as envisioned by SDG 16.

Core Mandates of the New Law

To achieve these goals, House Bill 1373 establishes several key requirements for law enforcement agencies across the state:

1. Expanded Firearm Tracing: The law broadens the scope of firearm tracing to include all cases where a gun is recovered at a crime scene, used unlawfully, or is believed to be associated with criminal activity.
2. Universal eTrace Participation: It mandates that every law enforcement agency in Illinois participate in the federal eTrace program, a platform managed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
3. Enhanced Data Sharing: This universal participation ensures consistent reporting and data sharing across all jurisdictions, helping to identify gun origins, trafficking patterns, and criminal links, thereby closing investigative loopholes.

Supporting SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

By addressing the root causes and instruments of urban violence, the law also contributes to SDG 11, which seeks to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

• Increased Public Safety: The proactive tracing of crime guns is designed to remove dangerous individuals and illegal weapons from communities, fostering a safer environment for all residents.
• Resilient Communities: Reducing gun violence strengthens community resilience and creates the secure conditions necessary for social and economic progress.

Implementation and Official Endorsements

House Bill 1373 was signed into law and took effect immediately. State Senator Bill Cunningham stated that the legislation provides police with the necessary tools to track illegal guns and the criminals trafficking them. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul highlighted the law’s importance in strengthening partnerships with the ATF to address gun trafficking, noting that participation in the eTrace platform is essential for identifying suspects and patterns behind violent crimes.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article directly addresses SDG 16 by focusing on measures to reduce violence, combat crime, and strengthen law enforcement institutions. The new law is designed to give “law enforcement stronger tools to track down the criminals” and “keep dangerous individuals off our streets.” This aligns with the goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

  The legislation’s primary objective is to curb gun violence. The article explicitly states that advocating for “commonsense gun safety measures” and the need to “prevent gun violence” are the motivations behind the law. By tracing illegal guns more effectively, the aim is to reduce crime and make “communities safer statewide,” which directly contributes to reducing violence.

• Target 16.4: By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime.

  The law specifically targets illicit arms flows. It aims to track down “illegal guns and the criminals that traffic them.” By requiring participation in the federal eTrace program, the law provides tools to get “complete data on gun origins, trafficking patterns and crime links,” which is a direct effort to identify and reduce the flow of illegal firearms and combat the organized crime associated with gun trafficking.

• Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, to build capacity at all levels… to prevent violence and combat… crime.

  The article describes a clear effort to strengthen state and local institutions. The law gives “police the tools they need” and requires “every law enforcement agency in Illinois to participate in the federal eTrace program.” This mandate ensures consistent reporting and closes “investigative loopholes,” thereby strengthening the capacity of these institutions to solve crimes and prevent violence. The mention of the Attorney General’s partnership with the ATF further highlights the strengthening of institutional cooperation.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Implied Indicator for Target 16.1:

  While not stating a specific metric, the article implies that a key measure of success would be a reduction in gun-related crimes. Progress would be measured by a decrease in incidents of gun violence and related deaths in Illinois communities, reflecting the law’s goal to “prevent gun violence” and make communities “safer.”

• Implied Indicator for Target 16.4:

  The article directly implies an indicator related to the official SDG indicator 16.4.2 (Proportion of seized arms whose illicit origin has been traced). The new law “broadens that scope by requiring firearm tracing in all cases where a gun is recovered at the scene of a crime.” Therefore, the number and proportion of recovered firearms that are successfully traced through the eTrace system would be a direct indicator of the law’s implementation and its success in tracking illicit arms flows.

• Implied Indicator for Target 16.a:

  An indicator for institutional strengthening is the rate of compliance with the new law. The article states the law “asks every law enforcement agency in Illinois to participate in the federal eTrace program.” Measuring the percentage of agencies that adopt and use the eTrace system would serve as a direct indicator of strengthened institutional capacity and cooperation across the state.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: illinoissenatedemocrats.com