On Monday, State Representative Bob Morgan and other legislators, Moms Demand Action and the Everytown Survivor Network, and gun violence survivors and advocates held a press conference urging passage of the Protect Illinois Communities Act, or HB 5855. Following the press conference, the House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the legislation, which featured testimony from gun violence survivors in the Chicago area. At the press conference prior to the hearing, Representative Morgan, State Representative LaShawn Ford, State Representative Maura Hirschauer, gun violence survivor and chapter lead of Moms Demand Action Mary Dieudonne-Hill, gun violence survivor Gwin Baxter, and gun violence survivor Conttina Patterson spoke about the importance of passing the Protect Illinois Communities Act to prevent the tragedy of gun violence from impacting more families across Illinois. The Protect Illinois Communities Act, introduced by Representative Morgan earlier this month, includes legislation that would ban assault weapons, facilitate better implementation and efficacy of Illinois’s Firearm Restraining Order (FRPO) law, raise the minimum age to obtain a FOID card to 21, and address illegal gun trafficking in the state. A poll released by Everytown for Gun Safety last week demonstrated that these gun safety measures have widespread support across the state. Overall, 52 percent of Illinoisans believe gun laws in Illinois should be stronger, including nearly three quarters of Black voters and 56 percent of Hispanic voters. For more information, visit www.protectillinoiscommunities.com.