02.15.23

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $9.5 Million In DOJ Grants From Bipartisan Safer Communities Act For Illinois State Crisis Intervention Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $9,527,496 in federal funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act for the Illinois State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP). The purpose of the SCIP will be to identify and implement programs that work to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others.

“Intervention programs are the gateway to breaking the cycle of violence in our communities,” said Durbin. “This investment will equip Illinois with the necessary resources to not only respond to these tragedies, but to prevent them from happening in the first place. We owe it to our kids, families, and survivors to take action and make our communities safer.” 

“Too often, we see Illinoisans suffer from gun violence in their communities and at home—and there’s so much more we can do to prevent individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others from even getting a firearm in the first place,” Duckworth said. “I was proud to support theBipartisan Safer Communities Act and I’m glad to join Senator Durbin in announcing support for crisis intervention programs that’ll help keep our neighborhoods safer.

Signed into law by President Biden in June 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is the most significant piece of federal gun safety legislation in almost three decades and comes as a response to recent mass shootings and incidents of community gun violence.

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