IL Republican lawmaker looks to reduce school gun violence without impeding Second Amendment rights

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — "I don't want to take any threats lightly," said State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) as he talked about his new bill that could prevent school gun violence before it happens.

When a teacher learns a students threatened one of their classmates with a gun, the proposal would force that teacher to contact the principal. After that, the principal would have to contact the family members involved.

Davidsmeyer filed this bill after he heard of a bullying incident, where a student threatened another kid with a gun. When the kid told the teacher of this incident, they did not report it to the principal.

The Republican lawmaker wanted a plan to reduce school gun violence while not impeding on Illinoisan Second Amendment rights.

"I hope all legal gun owners would be in the same boat and say if we can make sure these horrible incidents no longer happen, our gun rights will not be under attack," Davidsmeyer said.

The bill received support from some Democrats in the gun violence prevention committee, where they said they appreciated the GOP member coming forward with the plan.

"There's a lot of elements with school communication with communities in these situations," State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Highland Park) said. "We wish we never had these situations, but they do occur and we should have that discussion."

The proposal wasn't called to a vote, as Davidsmeyer wants school districts opinions on the bill before going forward. He also said he may add law enforcement in the plan. They would only be able to have a conversation about if the family knows the student making the threat has easy access to a firearm.

The bill is still in the gun violence prevention committee, where lawmakers could vote on it in the coming weeks.