Democrat lawmakers have voted to criminalize victims of theft by advancing Senate Bill 8, a controversial measure known as the Safe Gun Storage and Reporting Act.
Under SB 8, the time frame to report lost or stolen firearms to local law enforcement would be slashed from 72 to just 48 hours. Repeat violations could result in steep fines and even the revocation of a person’s FOID card.
Republican lawmakers pushed back, arguing that the bill punishes law-abiding gun owners rather than criminals. They pointed out that it’s unrealistic to expect someone to notice a missing firearm within 48 hours – especially when many guns are securely stored in safes, seasonal cabins, or vehicles that aren’t checked daily.
Rather than focusing on the real problem, such as those who steal and misuse firearms, SB 8 creates a one-size-fits-all mandate that targets responsible gun owners and makes them criminals for circumstances beyond their control.
Senate Bill 8 now moves to the House for further consideration.