|
| | HR1043 | | LRB102 30181 ECR 42499 r |
|
|
1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
|
2 | | WHEREAS, In the United States, gun violence is a public |
3 | | health epidemic of enormous scope; violence, particularly gun |
4 | | violence, is a major public health problem and a leading cause |
5 | | of premature death; gun violence is the number one cause of |
6 | | death for children in the United States; on average, 110 |
7 | | people are killed every day in the United States by gun |
8 | | violence; and
|
9 | | WHEREAS, The U.S. experienced a record number of gun |
10 | | deaths and gun sales in 2020; 45,222 people died from |
11 | | gun-related injuries in the U.S., and gunshot wounds were the |
12 | | leading cause of death for kids and teens under 19 years of |
13 | | age; and
|
14 | | WHEREAS, When a child is shot and killed, decades of |
15 | | potential are lost, including the potential to grow up, to |
16 | | have a family, to contribute to society, and to pursue their |
17 | | passions in life; in 2018, firearm deaths accounted for |
18 | | 919,185 years of potential life lost before the age of 65; this |
19 | | total of potential years lost is more than the combination of |
20 | | years lost by diabetes, strokes, and liver disease; and
|
21 | | WHEREAS, The cost of gun violence takes a large toll on the |
22 | | economy; Harvard Medical School researchers found that gun |
|
| | HR1043 | - 2 - | LRB102 30181 ECR 42499 r |
|
|
1 | | violence costs the U.S. approximately $557 billion annually or |
2 | | 2.6 percent of gross domestic product; and
|
3 | | WHEREAS, Gun violence costs Illinois $18.6 billion each |
4 | | year, including $625.5 million of which is paid by taxpayers; |
5 | | Illinois has the 40th highest societal cost of gun violence in |
6 | | the U.S. at $1,468 per resident each year; and
|
7 | | WHEREAS, Gun violence disproportionately affects the Black |
8 | | community; gun violence affects all children, but children of |
9 | | color are at greatest risk; most shooting deaths go |
10 | | unmentioned in national discourse and continue to |
11 | | disproportionately impact Black communities; and
|
12 | | WHEREAS, Young Black men are 20 times more likely to be |
13 | | killed by a gun than young white men; between 2019 and 2020, |
14 | | gun deaths and homicides increased by 39.5 percent among Black |
15 | | people, and Black men ages 15 to 34 were more than 20 times as |
16 | | likely to be killed with a gun than white men of the same age; |
17 | | the number of Black women killed by guns also increased by 50 |
18 | | percent in the same time period; and
|
19 | | WHEREAS, In 2019, Black Americans represented 14 percent |
20 | | of the nation's population yet accounted for 52 percent of all |
21 | | homicide victims; in 2019, Illinois was second in the entire |
22 | | nation among states for Black homicide victimization rate; and
|
|
| | HR1043 | - 3 - | LRB102 30181 ECR 42499 r |
|
|
1 | | WHEREAS, A Black person's life expectancy on average is |
2 | | less when compared to a white person's life expectancy; when |
3 | | comparing life expectancy in Chicago's Austin neighborhood to |
4 | | the Chicago Loop, there is a difference of 11 years between |
5 | | Black life expectancy of 71 years and white life expectancy of |
6 | | 82 years; and
|
7 | | WHEREAS, The devastation gun violence inflicts on Black |
8 | | teens and adults is a crisis that should be a top priority for |
9 | | policymakers; a critical part of ending the gun violence |
10 | | epidemic will involve reducing homicides in the Black |
11 | | community; and
|
12 | | WHEREAS, Wrap around services are needed to address the |
13 | | impact of gun violence and prevent future gun violence; |
14 | | medical care, including safety net hospitals, mental health |
15 | | treatment, including inpatient and outpatient behavioral |
16 | | health, affordable housing, economic empowerment such as jobs, |
17 | | childcare, and cultural awareness, and nutrition, including |
18 | | access to healthy and affordable food, education, and public |
19 | | safety are the basic essentials of a quality life; services |
20 | | must be accessible, and education and awareness efforts about |
21 | | available services must be offered; and
|
22 | | WHEREAS, Many violence and gun violence prevention |
|
| | HR1043 | - 4 - | LRB102 30181 ECR 42499 r |
|
|
1 | | programs and services are in existence, including trauma |
2 | | centers, wrap around services, family resource centers, RPSA, |
3 | | R3-ICEJA, coordinated care for various co-morbidities, medical |
4 | | treatment, mental health crisis, public health crisis, burial |
5 | | assistance, and grantee income programs; these programs and |
6 | | services make up a significant investment in public safety and |
7 | | trauma recovery in the 2023 budget; with all of this in place, |
8 | | violence and gun violence are still at public health crisis |
9 | | levels, and more must be done; therefore, be it
|
10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
11 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
12 | | as the General Assembly works to ban assault weapons it should |
13 | | also endeavor to provide victim services before and after acts |
14 | | of violence; and be it further
|
15 | | RESOLVED, That the General Assembly should strive to |
16 | | provide consistent appropriation for State agencies to provide |
17 | | support systems that wrap around the basic essentials of life |
18 | | and reduce violence occurring in communities; and be it |
19 | | further
|
20 | | RESOLVED, That this approach to violence and gun violence |
21 | | needs to be addressed through a comprehensive approach and a |
22 | | lens of equity that includes but is not limited to |
23 | | communications and messaging, education and training, |
|
| | HR1043 | - 5 - | LRB102 30181 ECR 42499 r |
|
|
1 | | treatment and counseling, grantee income programs, trauma |
2 | | centers and family resource centers, affordable housing and |
3 | | healthcare, community engagement and leadership, outreach and |
4 | | awareness, and wrap around services and community health |
5 | | workers; and be it further
|
6 | | RESOLVED, That the General Assembly herein voices its |
7 | | support for continued appropriations intended to stem the |
8 | | ever-rising incidents of violence in Illinois, including but |
9 | | not limited to medical and mental health services, training |
10 | | and education, trauma informed treatment and care, economic |
11 | | investments for victims of gun violence and their families, |
12 | | and communications messaging on how to access resources.
|