CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel urged Gov. Bruce Rauner Wednesday to sign a bill designed to toughen penalties for those convicted of multiple gun crimes touted by Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson as a way to reduce the surge of violence on Chicago's South and West sides.
Eleni Demertzis, a spokeswoman for Rauner, said the governor would sign the bill, saying it would make Illinois safer.
"This bill is an example of what is possible when people come together in good faith to improve our communities," Demertzis said.
Emanuel praised state lawmakers for approving the bill, which he said would help "the criminal justice system hold repeat offenders accountable for their actions" while "expanding alternatives to incarceration for first-time non-violent offenders."
The bill instructs judges to sentence some repeat gun felons to at least seven years and as many as 14 years. Judges who decline to follow that recommendation would have to explain their reasoning.
The measure won the governor's support after provisions that would have reduced penalties for some drug crimes were removed from the bill.
If it becomes law, it will do so over the objections of Chicago Urban League President Shari Runner, who said it would contribute to jail overcrowding and waste taxpayer funds.
"Any legislation pertaining to gun violence in Illinois must recognize that scourge for what it truly is — a public health crisis rooted in poverty, systemic racism, and disinvestment in African-American communities," Runner said in a statement.
More than 90 percent of the people murdered in Chicago during 2016 were slain with a gun.
Johnson personally lobbied lawmakers to pass the bill, traveling to Springfield to testify about it and assuring lawmakers he was confident it would help officers turn the tide of violence that has shown no sign slowing after last year's spike.
