SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – A new law aimed at preventing domestic violence-related deaths was signed by Governor JB Pritzker on Monday, honoring the memory of Karina Gonzalez. Gonzalez was shot and killed along with her 15-year-old daughter Daniela during a domestic violence incident on Fourth of July weekend in 2023.
House Bill 4144, also known as Karina’s Law, addresses a critical gap in the protection of domestic violence victims. The law ensures that local law enforcement must remove firearms from individuals with active orders of protection against them, providing greater safety for those seeking refuge from abusive situations. This legislative measure closes a loophole in existing laws that left confusion over who was responsible for confiscating firearms from alleged abusers.
Under Karina’s Law, survivors of domestic violence seeking an order of protection can request a firearm remedy that will allow law enforcement to remove weapons from the alleged abuser’s possession. The law also allows the petitioner to request a search warrant to seize firearms from the accused, provided there is probable cause that the person poses an immediate threat. Once issued, law enforcement must execute the warrant within 96 hours.
Governor Pritzker emphasized the importance of the law, stating, “Taking lethal weapons from those who have already done harm and are an immediate and present danger to do further harm is simply common sense.”
Despite concerns over logistics, including storage of confiscated firearms and the execution of search warrants, lawmakers and law enforcement organizations reached agreements to address these issues. Under the law, police agencies will have 48 hours to review the situation before executing a search warrant if no reports of domestic violence have been filed in the last three months. Additionally, the person with the order of protection can petition to transfer their abuser’s firearm to a lawful gun owner.