GIFFORDS Applauds Illinois Passage of Karina’s Bill to Disarm Domestic Abusers and Protect Survivors

WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords applauded Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois legislature for passing Karina’s Bill, a critical piece of legislation aimed at protecting domestic violence survivors. The law requires law enforcement officers to remove firearms from the homes of individuals accused of domestic violence. 

“Today, Governor Pritzker and lawmakers in the Illinois legislature prioritized public safety by stopping violent offenders from accessing firearms,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “Karina’s Bill takes a meaningful step toward protecting victims of domestic violence from experiencing further harm and trauma at the hands of their abusers – a critical step, as women in America are 21 times more likely to be killed by a firearm than women in other high-income countries. We thank the Governor and members of Illinois’ General Assembly for their leadership on this important issue. Survivors across the state can rest a little easier with this law in effect.” 

The bill is named in memory of Karina González, who was tragically murdered in 2023, allegedly by her husband, Jose Alvarez. Karina had a protection order against Jose, which could have led to the removal of his gun by local police. Thanks to this new law, when a survivor is granted an order of protection, the accused abuser’s Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card is revoked, and their guns are confiscated.