The DuPage County Board is allocating funds toward an initiative intended to prevent self-inflicted or unintentional firearm injuries — particularly among children and teens.
The board recently appropriated $25,000 toward the purchase of 325 gun safes. They will be distributed to residents at the upcoming DuPage County Sheriff Safety Saturday event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at 501 N. County Farm Road, in Wheaton.
Board of Health president advocated for funding
District 1 board member Sam Tornatore, who serves as president of the DuPage County Board of Health, advocated for the proposal in a memo.
“This initiative responds directly to new state of Illinois secure storage laws and provides a practical way for residents to comply with the law,” Tornatore wrote. “It also offers a meaningful opportunity to increase household safety and prevent accidental injuries or deaths.”
In his memo, Tornatore cited a number of statistics that he said lend credence to the board backing gun safes. Among them:
- Firearm suicide rates among young people have increased faster than any other age group in the past decade.
- More than 80% of the people engaged in mass shootings at schools use a firearm owned by a family member.
County board votes unanimously in support of plan
During deliberations at the county board’s Tuesday, Aug. 25, meeting, several board members weighed in with words of support toward the expenditure.
Yeena Yoo, a District 2 board member, said gun safety has been a top-of-mind issue for her in the past decade. She is the former chair and local lead for the Elmhurst chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.
“Gun safety, and specifically, secure storage, is a public safety and public health issue, and we’ve made that clear in DuPage,” Yoo said.
Andrew Honig, who also represents District 2, advocated for providing literature within the safes that had mental health resources and other important information.
“I care deeply about this issue, and even if this saves just one life, that matters to me greatly,” Honig said. “This initiative will not solve gun violence by itself, but every life we can protect matters, every tragedy we can prevent matters. Every step we take toward a safer community does matter.”
At the meeting, County Board Chair Deb Conroy said she was appreciative of the full board’s support for the appropriation.
“We have responsible gun owners,” Conroy said. “Our biggest challenge is that person who is at a breaking point and is looking for a way out. If they use a gun, there’s no chance at them ever having a second chance.”
Stay in the know – sign up for our daily news update.