On Wednesday, June 25, 2014 the Chicago City Council unanimously passed the Responsible Sale of Firearms Ordinance to help prevent gun trafficking. The vote comes in advance of a federal court-ordered July 14 deadline to allow gun shops in the city.

Failure to vote on HB 2897 by the Illinois House of Representatives before the end of the spring session will delay the Cook County Drug Field Test Pilot Program. This initiative would have run for one year starting September 1, 2014 and could have saved the county millions by significantly reducing the amount of time pretrial defendants wait in Cook County Jail.

The Illinois General Assembly adjourned the spring legislative session on May 30, 2014.  Join us in celebrating these victories!

Thank you for standing up against mandatory minimums and contacting your state legislators.

Join us in calling on members of the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor to oppose SB 1342 and any new legislation that expands mandatory minimums or enhances Illinois’ already harsh sentencing policies.

Over the past year, Community Renewal Society advocated for common-sense anti-trafficking gun measures. We are disappointed in the new concealed carry law enacted by the IL General Assembly because it lacks many safeguards.

We call upon all Illinois legislators to ensure that any gun legislation that is called for vote in the General Assembly include the following anti-trafficking measures: universal background checks, titling handguns, and reporting lost or stolen firearms.

Illinois ought to be a leader of national legal reforms that consider prostituted people as victims of human trafficking in need of services rather than as criminal offenders.