MAYOR JOHNSON SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING A DEPARTMENT OF GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION
On June 25th, 2026, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an Executive Order establishing a Department of Gun Violence Reduction, and we want to be the first to say: Mayor Johnson, thank you for hearing us, and thank you for acting.
This moment belongs to every faith leader, every survivor, every organizer, and every grieving mother who showed up to City Hall, testified in committee rooms, rode buses to Springfield, and refused to let Chicago treat Black death as an acceptable cost of doing business. But we must be honest with our people and honest with our city: an Executive Order is a powerful first step, and it is only a first step. Because what one executive pen signs, the next executive pen can erase.
The permanent Department of Gun Violence Reduction our communities need must be codified through a city ordinance, sustained through long-term budget commitments, and made accountable to the people it serves. Not subject to the political priorities of any single administration. Live Free Illinois is committed to working shoulder to shoulder with Mayor Johnson and our aldermanic partners to get that ordinance drafted, debated, and passed, because our children’s lives deserve a solution that outlasts any one mayor.
A community-centered approach to save lives
The current approach to gun violence is failing.
Already in 2026, Chicagoans have lost children, parents, and grandparents to gun violence. Families throughout Chicago are at a breaking point.
Our current Office of Violence Prevention was a step in the right direction. But in the current crisis, we need more. We need a comprehensive long-term plan to address gun violence - and a permanent department to implement that plan with community input and accountability.
885
people were shooting victims in 2025
Black people were victims of more than 73% of homicides in 2025
Chicago needs a comprehensive, community-centered plan to end gun violence and a permanent DEPARTMENT to tackle the issue from the ground up.
What would a new Department of Gun Violence Reduction do?
The new Department of Gun Violence Reduction will:
Create a comprehensive, long-term plan to address violence
Convene an advisory board led by experts, community leaders, and survivors of gun violence, to provide strategic direction, oversight, and accountability for progress on the plan
Have procurement power to provide the resources necessary in communities to address gun violence
Ensure a cohesive strategy across City agencies to leverage the full power of the City to address violence
For years, community members have advocated for this department to be established and made permanent through an ordinance. The goal of the ordinance is to create community accountability, long-term, and sustainable solutions, give the office grant-making power, and assurance that this office is not subject to be dissolved due to political priorities.
This department must be established by ordinance.