The Senate approved a measure this week that imposes tougher sentences on repeat gun offenders. Senate Bill 1722 would allow judges to enact longer prison terms for gun crimes committed by those individuals who have a gun violation on their record. 

Supporting this measure is Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson who said “the sentencing guidelines are ‘a pivotal step’ in going after repeat gun offenders in a city where 91 percent of the more than 760 homicide victims in 2016 were killed with a gun.”

Senate Bill 1722 received bipartisan support in the Senate, as well as the support of Gov. Bruce Rauner. The recommendations of the Governor’s Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform formed the basis for much of the legislation. The bipartisan Commission conducted a thorough review of the state’s criminal justice and sentencing structure, looking for ways to improve public safety, while also reducing the state’s reliance on incarceration and driving down recidivism rates.

However, some lawmakers were reluctant to support the proposal, citing concerns over penalty reductions included in the legislation.