Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 4144, also known as Karina’s Law, on Feb 10. The bill requires law enforcement to confiscate firearms temporarily from domestic violence situations.
The legislation honors the memory of Karina Gonzalez and her daughter, Daniela Alvarez, who were shot and killed last July. Karina’s Law adds to an existing law requiring the confiscation of firearms from individuals with a protective order filed against them. It specifies that law enforcement will execute the confiscation.
“Protecting victims of domestic violence is a cause that’s taking a giant leap forward today,” Pritzker said in a press release. “Karina’s law will protect survivors of domestic violence and give them the comfort of knowing their abuser will not have easy access to firearms.”
On July 3, Jose Alvarez, 67, opened fire on his wife, Gonzalez, and the couple’s two children, Daniela Alvarez and Manny Alvarez, at their home in Little Village.
Two weeks before the shooting, Gonzalez reported to the Ogden District police station that Jose Alvarez threatened to kill her in a fit of rage. The following day, she was granted an order of protection against him.
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Manny Alvarez, 18, was injured in the attack and managed to escape the home while waiting with a neighbor for police to arrive. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Daniela Alvarez, 15, in the house.
After first responders transported Daniela Alvarez to Mount Sinai Hospital, she was pronounced dead.
“As I look forward towards the future, I hope that the future survivors won’t have to suffer as much as our family and countless others have had to at the hands of abusers,” Manny Alvarez said at a news conference in Chicago on Monday.
Following the statement by Manny Alvarez, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton took to social media to comment.
“As Karina’s son Manny said, ‘While there is still much work to be done, the future is brighter than ever,’” Stratton said in an Instagram post. “That’s right, Manny. We are not going back…not on our watch.”
Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, criticized the bill and said the legislation would affect Illinois gun owners regardless of criminal history.
“We certainly don’t want domestic abusers to have access to firearms, but we also have to balance that with the rights of people who have done nothing wrong, and it’s used as a weapon against them, Pearson said.
Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-I.L.) sponsored the legislation in the Illinois House and commented on the bill’s signing.
“Prior to this bill, the state of Illinois and our FOID card system, has always recognized that if you are under an order of protection you lose your FOID card,” Hirschauer said in an interview with ABC News. “So, that has always been something on the books. But we did not have the implementation and the framework built out for law enforcement to go remove those guns.”
The law was first filed in 2023 by Rep. Nabeela Syed (D-I.L.) of Illinois’ 51st district.
“We owe it to Karina and Daniela — to Manny — and to all the victims and their families, to continue building all the support and protection that we can,” Pritzker said.
