A non-binding referendum asking Oak Park Township residents if safe firearm storage should be required appears to have overwhelmingly passed with voters.
According to unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk’s office, the question appears to have received more than 90 percent of voter approval. With all 37 precincts reporting Wednesday morning, 23,992 votes were cast in favor of requiring safe gun storage, while 2,218 votes were cast against it.
The ballot question read, “shall all firearms be required by law to be stored in a safe and secure manner that prevents access by unauthorized persons, when such firearms are not under the direct personal control of the owner?”
The question was placed on the ballot by resident Sandra Shimon at Oak Park Township’s annual town meeting earlier this year. Shimon gathered the minimum 15 signatures of registered voters required, and it was approved by a unanimous voice vote of attendees at the April 10 meeting, officials said.
Shimon said the landslide vote was not a surprise considering the demographics of Oak Park Township and her own polling of residents throughout the year.
“We’re in a progressive community,” Shimon said. “I think it’s important not to let the issue die because it is a marathon and not a sprint. Eventually, there will be reasonable gun regulation. It is really what we expected.”
Shimon said she and a group of other concerned residents will continue to pursue safer gun regulations, but could not say what her next move may be.
“I can’t tell you what our future plans are, but we won’t be silent,” Shimon said.
Prior to election night, Richard Pearson of the Illinois State Rifle Association said he had no opinion on the question as he believes storage of firearms is already regulated by state law.
“When you get local governments tinkering around with things they don’t know about, it does spell trouble in the end,” Pearson said. “The state already requires safe storage. This is an open-ended question that can lead to other things that would be much more nefarious. They’re just using this as an excuse for something else.”