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

Illinois Legislation Advances SDG 16 by Mandating Comprehensive Firearm Tracing

Executive Summary

The State of Illinois has enacted House Bill 1373, a new law designed to provide law enforcement agencies with enhanced capabilities for tracing firearms connected to criminal activities. This legislative action directly supports the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16, by aiming to reduce violence, curb illicit arms trafficking, and strengthen justice institutions.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The primary impact of House Bill 1373 is its significant contribution to SDG 16, which seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. The law addresses several key targets within this goal:

• Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. By mandating the tracing of all firearms recovered from crime scenes, the law provides critical data to identify the sources of illegal guns, thereby helping to disrupt supply chains and reduce gun violence in communities.
• Target 16.4: Significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows and combat all forms of organized crime. The requirement for all state law enforcement agencies to participate in the federal eTrace program directly targets illicit arms flows. This comprehensive data sharing helps identify and prosecute gun traffickers and dismantle the organized crime networks that sustain them.
• Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions to prevent violence and combat crime. The legislation strengthens the capacity of local and state law enforcement institutions by equipping them with standardized, modern tools and comprehensive data. This enhances their effectiveness in solving crimes and ensuring public safety.

Contribution to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The initiative also supports SDG 11, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. A reduction in gun violence is a foundational element for creating safe community environments where residents can thrive. By improving public safety, the law contributes to the overall sustainability and resilience of urban and suburban areas throughout Illinois.

Key Legislative Provisions and Implementation

House Bill 1373, which takes effect immediately upon being signed into law, establishes a more robust framework for firearm tracing through two principal mandates:

1. Expanded Scope of Firearm Tracing: The law broadens previous regulations by requiring firearm tracing in all instances where a gun is recovered at a crime scene, used unlawfully, or is otherwise believed to be associated with a crime. This closes investigative loopholes and ensures a more complete dataset on crime guns.
2. Mandatory Participation in Federal eTrace Program: The legislation mandates that every law enforcement agency in Illinois participate in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) eTrace program. This ensures consistent reporting and data sharing across all jurisdictions, providing investigators with faster and more complete intelligence on gun origins and trafficking patterns.

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

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article focuses on a new law (House Bill 1373) designed to strengthen law enforcement’s ability to combat crime and enhance community safety. This directly aligns with the goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. The article states the measure gives “law enforcement stronger tools to track down the criminals” and aims to “make communities safer statewide,” which are core tenets of SDG 16.

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

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article’s central theme is the reduction of violence. It mentions the law will help “keep dangerous individuals off our streets” and address “violent crimes.” The stated goal of Attorney General Kwame Raoul is to “prevent gun violence,” which directly supports this target.
• Target 16.4: By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows… and combat all forms of organized crime. The law specifically targets the illegal movement of weapons. The article highlights that the measure will help “track down illegal guns and the criminals that traffic them” and is needed to “identify gun traffickers.” This directly corresponds to the reduction of illicit arms flows and combating organized crime associated with gun trafficking.
• Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions… to prevent violence and combat… crime. The article describes a direct effort to strengthen law enforcement institutions within Illinois. It notes the law gives “police the tools they need” and requires “every law enforcement agency in Illinois to participate in the federal eTrace program.” This enhances institutional capacity and promotes cooperation (in this case, between state and federal agencies) to combat crime more effectively.

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

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• For Target 16.1: While a specific indicator like homicide rates is not mentioned, progress can be measured by tracking the number of gun-related crimes solved and a reduction in the overall rate of “violent crimes” and “gun violence,” as mentioned in the article.
• For Target 16.4: The article directly implies an indicator related to Indicator 16.4.2 (Proportion of seized, found or surrendered arms whose illicit origin or context has been traced). The new law mandates “firearm tracing in all cases where a gun is recovered at the scene of a crime.” Therefore, the number and proportion of recovered firearms successfully traced through the eTrace program would be a direct measure of progress. The article emphasizes that this provides “more complete data on gun origins, trafficking patterns and crime links.”
• For Target 16.a: An indicator for institutional strengthening is explicitly stated. The law “asks every law enforcement agency in Illinois to participate in the federal eTrace program.” Progress can be measured by the participation rate of Illinois law enforcement agencies in the eTrace program, with the goal being universal adoption to ensure “consistent reporting and firearm tracing across all counties.”

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: illinoissenatedemocrats.com