Families of those killed in domestic violence cases joined lawmakers Wednesday in making an emotional plea for the Illinois General Assembly to act on Karina’s Bill — aimed at removing guns from the hands of abusers — following failed attempts to push the bill through in the fall veto session.
The renewed effort comes in the wake of two domestic-related mass shootings over the weekend in the Chicago suburbs.
“I woke up this morning very tired. … I woke up tired because every single day that I wake up to news of yet another situation that could have been prevented by us acting in the Illinois Legislature is another day that my heart breaks,” said state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, a sponsor of the bill.
Karina’s Bill — named in honor of Karina Gonzalez — would require law enforcement to promptly remove firearms while serving an order of protection if requested by the survivor and ordered by a judge.
Gonzalez and her teenage daughter were fatally shot in their home in July of last year, just weeks after she reported threatening behavior by her husband, Jose Alvarez, to Chicago police.
“Our lives have been shattered and crushed,” Gonzalez’s cousin Monica Alvarez said Wednesday. “Nothing has been or will ever be the same. Karina and Daniela were taken from us in the most horrific act of domestic violence. Karina and Daniela were murdered. Manny saw his mother and sister be executed as he himself was shot and injured. We cannot have other families endure this horrific act of violence.”
Gonzalez had been granted an order of protection against her husband, which automatically revoked his Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and banned him from the family home. Yet on July 3, Alvarez was still in their home with his Glock 9 mm pistol when he fatally shot his wife and 15-year-old daughter and wounded their 18-year-old son, prosecutors said.
Alvarez has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm.
“We need to strengthen our domestic violence laws now,” Monica Alvarez said. “Unfortunately, the lack of urgency and implementation is costing lives like those of Karina and Daniela. Our current laws are not enough.
“It’s enraging and utterly devastating to think that if an adequate policy would have been in place, Karina and Daniela could possibly still be here today,” Alvarez added. “How many more must die?”
Under current law, survivors seeking an order of protection can request the removal of firearms, but enforcement is often inconsistent, advocates say.
Under the new law, if a survivor selects the firearm remedy and the judge finds probable cause the individual has a firearm and poses an imminent danger, they will issue a search warrant with the order of protection. Law enforcement would have 96 hours to serve the warrant and seize the weapon.
Ongoing negotiations between bill sponsors and law enforcement agencies have stalled the bill’s progress.
The Illinois State Police has the primary responsibility, under state law, but it relies heavily on local police and sheriff’s departments to go to a home and remove a gun.
“We really want this to work for law enforcement.” said Maralea Negron, director of policy with The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, a coalition of domestic violence prevention organizations. “Law enforcement is absolutely a partner in this.”
Karina’s Bill was part of a firearms safety package passed by the House in May that failed to clear the Senate. Advocates aimed to push the bill through during the fall veto session, but the legislation was not introduced.
At the time, a spokesman for state Senate President Don Harmon said several issues with the bill, including questions of enforcement, had not been resolved in time to act on the measure during the veto session. Advocates expressed frustration but said they continue to work with Senate leadership to move the bill forward.
The language of the bill has not changed since the veto session, Negron said.
The Illinois General Assembly reconvened last week, and although the House bill sponsor, state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, recognized that legislation often is not acted upon until later in the session, she said lawmakers are committed to getting this bill passed as soon as possible.
“The bills we pass in Springfield have real life-and-death consequences,” Hirschauer said. “In failing to pass a version of Karina’s Bill in May of 2023 we failed Karina Gonzalez, her daughter, Daniela, son Manny, Monica and their whole family.”
In December 2023, a month after the bill failed to clear the veto session, Maria Roque was fatally shot outside her Austin home in front of her two children. Her ex-boyfriend, against whom she had an order of protection, was charged in her killing.
“Maria never should have been killed,” her twin brother, Andres Roque, said Wednesday. “She did what we told people to do when they are in a domestic violence situation. … We have to do something to make sure this doesn’t happen. This bill is called Karina’s Bill, but it is also called Maria’s Bill.”
Over the weekend, Maher Kassem, 63, allegedly shot and killed his wife and three daughters following an argument in their Tinley Park home.
That same day, Romeo Nance, 23, fatally shot eight individuals — including his mother, four siblings, aunt and uncle — in a murder spree in Joliet, according to police.
In domestic violence cases, a gun in the home increases the risk of homicide by 500%, according to a report from The Network.
