Springfield, Illinois —Legislation sponsored by Illinois State Senator Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) will strengthen the penalties for gang members who possess firearms on public streets. House Bill 4124 strengthens penalties for gang members who possess firearms and ammunition in areas where gang violence is most likely to erupt – on the streets.  The bill will provide a higher class felony and harsher sentences for gang members possessing firearms and ammunition in public places. The purpose of this legislation is to protect innocent people in public areas by punishing those individuals who are most prone to cause violence in public areas – gang members.

This legislation is an initiative of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and stems from an incident that occurred on June 1, 2009.  Chicago Police Officers Alejandro Valadez and Tom Vargas responded to a call of shots fired in the area of the 6000 S. Hermitage. While at the scene of the investigation, Officer Valadez was fatally shot by individuals who drove by and began shooting at the officer.   The individuals in the car were apprehended and the gun was recovered. At the time of this tragic incident, two of the defendants were on probation. One of the shooters was on felony probation for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Both the driver and the shooter were gang members.

“As a career prosecutor who has seen first hand the devastating effects that gangs and guns have on families and communities it is clear to me that all of us in government need to work together to develop new measures to address this crisis of senseless violence,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. “We believe that this measure is a common sense approach that applies stricter criminal penalties against the gang members who are disrupting the quality of life in so many of our communities.”

“Putting an end to this type of violence should be a priority for everyone,” Senator Munoz said.  “Too many people have lost their lives in the fight against gangs. This legislation allows us to take a stand by enacting stronger penalties on gang members who are carrying weapons on our streets.”