A bill passed by Illinois lawmakers Tuesday aims to offer more protection for victims of domestic abuse by requiring law enforcement to confiscate guns within 96 hours from people who have an order of protection granted against them.
The legislation, named "Karina's Bill," passed the Illinois House of Representatives by an 80-33 margin.
The bill is named after Karina Gonzalez, a mother from Chicago's Little Village neighborhood who was shot and killed along with her daughter by her husband, Jose Alvarez, in 2023.
Alvarez, who had an order of protection granted against him before the deadly attack, has since been charged in their murder.
Gonzalez's son, Jesús "Manny" Alvarez was also shot, but managed to escape. He's since put his pain to purpose and advocated for the bill named after his mother.
"The important thing now is making sure it gets handled correctly and it actually goes and does what it’s supposed to do," Manny told NBC 5 reporter Courtney Sisk after the Bill passed. "My mom was really hard working no matter the circumstances she was in, my sister was a really good scholar, I know they would be proud to know they were able to make change without being here.”
Amanda Pyron is the president of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. She was in Springfield with Manny when the bill passed.
"We owe survivors a strong implementation so that once it’s signed, we are monitoring cases in the courts to make sure survivors have access to the protections this bill affords," Pyron said.
Pyron added that her team is already working on implementation strategies.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
The bill now heads to the desk of Governor J.B. Pritzker for final approval.
If you, or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence the Illinois Department of Human Services offers a 24/7 hotline to help connect you to resources throughout the state. That number is 1-877-863-6338. It is toll free, multilingual and confidential.
