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1 | AN ACT in relation to firearm liability.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Firearm
Liability Act.
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6 | Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
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7 | "Firearm" has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1.1 of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | the Firearm Owners
Identification Card Act.
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9 | "Firearm transferor" means a person who sells, transfers, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | or causes the sale
or transfer of a firearm to another person.
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11 | Section 10. Firearm transferor liability.
If it was | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | unlawful at the time of the sale or transfer of a firearm (i) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | for the
firearm transferor to make or cause to be made the sale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | or transfer of the
firearm to another person or (ii) for that | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | other person to purchase, receive,
or possess the firearm, then | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | the firearm transferor is strictly liable in a
civil action for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | any death, injury, or damage to property proximately caused by
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18 | the use of that firearm. Liability under this Act is in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | addition to any other
statutory or common law liability.
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20 | Section 15. Persons who may bring action and recover | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | damages.
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22 | (a) A civil action under this
Act
may be brought and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | damages may be recovered by the person injured or by the
person | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | whose property was
damaged by
the use of the firearm.
If the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | person entitled to
bring an action and recover damages is a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | minor, the action may
be
brought and damages recovered on | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | behalf of the minor by the minor's parent or
legal guardian or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | by the guardian of the estate of the minor. If the person
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29 | entitled to
bring an action and recover damages is a disabled | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | person, the
action may be brought and damages recovered by the |
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1 | guardian of the estate of
the disabled person. If the person | ||||||
2 | entitled to bring an action and recover
damages is deceased, | ||||||
3 | but was not killed by the use of the firearm, the
action may be | ||||||
4 | brought and damages recovered by the personal representative of
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5 | the decedent's estate on behalf of the estate.
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6 | (b) If a person was killed by the use of the firearm, an | ||||||
7 | action may be
brought and damages recovered by
the personal | ||||||
8 | representative of the decedent's estate, and, except
as
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9 | otherwise provided in this Section, the amount recovered in the | ||||||
10 | action shall be
for the
exclusive benefit of the surviving | ||||||
11 | spouse and next of kin of the deceased
person.
The amount | ||||||
12 | recovered in the action shall be distributed by the court in | ||||||
13 | which
the
cause is heard, or by the circuit court in the case | ||||||
14 | of an agreed settlement,
to each of the
surviving spouse and | ||||||
15 | next of kin of the deceased person in the proportion, as
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16 | determined
by the court, that the percentage of dependency of | ||||||
17 | each of those persons upon
the
deceased
person bears to the sum | ||||||
18 | of the percentages of dependency of all of those
persons upon | ||||||
19 | the
deceased person.
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20 | If the deceased person left no surviving spouse or next of | ||||||
21 | kin entitled to
recovery,
the damages shall inure to the | ||||||
22 | exclusive
benefit of
the decedent's estate.
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23 | Section 20. Recovery of damages. If the trier of fact | ||||||
24 | finds by a
preponderance of the
evidence that the defendant is | ||||||
25 | strictly liable under this Act, the plaintiff
may recover
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26 | punitive damages in addition to all other lawful damages, court | ||||||
27 | costs, and
attorney's fees.
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28 | Section 25. Civil penalty. If the trier of fact finds that | ||||||
29 | the defendant is
strictly liable
under this Act and finds that | ||||||
30 | the defendant sold, transferred, or caused
the sale or transfer | ||||||
31 | of a
firearm in violation of Section 3 of the Firearm Owners | ||||||
32 | Identification Card Act
or
Section 24-3, 24-3.3, 24-3.4, or | ||||||
33 | 24-3A of the Criminal Code of 1961, the court,
in
addition to | ||||||
34 | any other damages, shall assess a civil penalty of $10,000 to |
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1 | be
paid to the
Department of State Police and deposited into | ||||||
2 | the State Police Services Fund.
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3 | Section 30. Statute of limitations. An action under this | ||||||
4 | Act must be
commenced
within 5 years after the cause of action | ||||||
5 | accrued.
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