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Here is the rest of Churchill's press release:

By some estimates, 21,000 Americans are injured by BB guns each year. Nearly two-thirds of these victims are children. “There’s a famous line from the movie “A Christmas Story” when Ralphie asks for a Red Rider BB gun, everyone, including Santa Claus, tells him he’ll shoot his eye out,” Churchill continued. “While it’s funny in the movie, serious injuries to our children happen every day because of BB guns.”

A number of school districts across Illinois have banned BB guns, pellet guns and gun look-alikes, or toy guns. HB 4391 seeks to provide further support to school boards and administrators who have been left to create a mix of policies ranging from suspension to expulsion of students who bring a BB gun to school.

HB 4391 amends the Criminal Code of 1961 by adding the prohibition of bringing or possessing a BB gun on school grounds to the definition of “disorderly conduct.” Should a person be found guilty of endangering the safety of school children by bringing a BB gun on school grounds, they would face a stiff monetary fine as well as the possibility of community service.

While Churchill introduced HB 4391 to provide greater safety on school grounds, he fully recognizes that BB guns are used constructively in a number of ways. “BB guns certainly have their place in society. I know that the Boy Scouts and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, for example, utilize BB guns to teach marksmanship as well as instill a respect for firearms,” Churchill added. “BB guns and weaponry of any kind, though, do not belong on school grounds.”

HB 4391 does provide for an exemption to the prohibition with the prior consent of the chief security officer for the school. “I know that there are some schools in Illinois that have monitored, competitive target shooting clubs that may use BB guns,” Churchill said. “It is not the intention of HB 4391 to remove these highly controlled, worthwhile experiences from the school setting. HB 4391 is intended to provide greater safety to our kids while at school.”

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