Illinois new laws 2026: Humboldt Park, Chicago shooting on West Division Street unfolded as Safe Gun Storage Act took effect
Chicago police are still working to find out how exactly an 8-year-old boy was able to get his hands on a gun before allegedly shooting another child at a Northwest Side home on Thursday evening.
The investigation unfolded as a new state law, aimed at preventing scary scenes just like this one, took effect.
Questions remain unanswered on Friday morning outside the Humboldt Park apartment building where Chicago police say an 8-year-old boy found a gun and shot a 7-year-old boy just after 7 p.m. Thursday.
Police swarmed the scene near the intersection of Division and Spaulding.
Investigators say the 7-year-old boy was rushed to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, adding that a weapon was recovered on scene. Fortunately, the boy is expected to be OK.
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But it is still not clear how the 8-year-old was so easily able to access a gun moments before he allegedly pulled the trigger.
The shooting happened as a new state law, the Safe Gun Storage Act, took effect on the same day.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the law in July. It is aimed at keeping gun owners from storing weapons in an unsecure manner at any location where they know the weapon could be picked up by a minor, a person at risk of harming themselves or others, or someone who is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
"I'm tired, frankly, of treating something completely preventable as inevitable. I'm tired of forcing our children to duck and cover because too many politicians are ducking and covering for the gun industry's money," Pritzker said.
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Owners are now supposed to keep weapons locked in containers so they are the only ones who can access their firearms. And under the new law, people in violation are looking at possible hefty fines as high as $10,000.
The law also requires gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons within 48 hours. Previously, they were required to notify officials within 72 hours.
Investigators say no one is in custody after the shooting.
