Jeanne Ives

“We need to think holistically about law enforcement. Give police, prosecutors, public defenders and judges the resources they need and hold them accountable for performance. Sanctuary city and state designations, the absence of police, the failure to clear violent crime cases, the turnstile justice of light sentences for violent criminals who commit crimes with guns are received by the small numbers of violent criminals in our communities as signs of weakness,” Ives told Chicago Tribune.

Christopher Kennedy

“As someone who comes from a family that has been deeply impacted by gun violence, Chris Kennedy is committed to addressing the challenge of violence in our state. Chris believes we need to combat violence in three key ways: addressing violence as a public health issue by providing trauma treatment and mental health services; curbing illegal gun access; and revitalizing schools and communities afflicted by gun violence,” according to Kennedy’s official website.

JB Pritzker

“Far too many communities across this state are all too familiar with gun violence, especially in Chicago. I would adopt a public health approach to addressing the violence. First, we need to make sure that communities across Illinois are growing and thriving economically so that people don’t feel like they have to turn to violence. We must increase access to mental health and social services so that people don’t resort to gun violence,” Pritzker told Chicago Tribune.

Bruce Rauner

Bruce Rauner does not have a publicly stated stance on this issue.

Jan Schakowsky

“I support common-sense gun safety legislation, and I believe Congress needs to act immediately to stop the proliferation of weapons that threaten the safety of our communities.  This is a public safety issue and a public health issue, one that threatens our families and neighborhoods every day. Like the majority of Americans, I support renewing the assault weapons ban.  These extremely dangerous, semi-automatic weapons are specifically designed to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.  They pose a grave risk to our communities, which is why the overwhelming majority of Americans support limiting the sale of military-style assault weapons,” according to Schakowsky’s official website.

Brad Schneider

“There are specific, commonsense solutions available that would help curb gun violence in our communities and save lives, including universal background checks, banning military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, bump stocks and funding mental health care. I’ve supported such legislation and personally introduced bills that would help prevent stolen guns and close the ‘ghost gun’ loophole. These are all proposals with broad support from the American public, but the political will is what’s missing. After Sandy Hook, after Las Vegas, and now after Parkland, Congress’s response has been deafening silence and inaction,” Schneider told New Trier News.

The Illinois constitution states in Article 1 section 22, “Subject only to the police power, the right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” More specifically, according to Illinois gun laws, you must possess a Firearms Owner’s Identification Card (FOID) to purchase any firearm or ammunition in Illinois. The requirements for a FOID are numerous. To name a few, the applicant cannot be a felon, undocumented immigrant, addicted to narcotics, cannot have been a patient of a mental health facility within the past 5 years, and must be at least 21. If the applicant is under 21, they must have the written consent of a parent or legal guardian who themselves has never been denied a FOID. There is a waiting period of 72 hours after buying a handgun to take possession of it, and in Illinois, you cannot legally open carry a handgun, with or without a FOID.