Surviving Son Speaks Out in Light of Passage of” Karina’s Law” – Find Out Where to Turn if You are Experiencing Domestic Violence in Your Marriage in Chicago

In July of 2023, a horrific story involving domestic violence shook the Chicago area. Karina Gonzalez, a Chicago woman and mother, and her daughter, Daniela, were shot and killed by one of their own – Karina’s husband and her daughter’s father, Jose Alvarez. Fast-forward to February, 2025, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed “Karina’s Law” into law, which aims to provide stronger protections to domestic violence victims in the State of Illinois. Among other things, “Karina’s Law” “allows police to promptly confiscate guns from any person with a revoked Firearms Owners Identification card due to an order of protection.” Importantly, there was an order of protection in place against Jose Alvarez contacting Karina Gonzalez, but previous laws failed to keep her safe from the violent and abusive husband that eventually killed her and her daughter.

Manny, Karina Gonzalez’s son, was also involved in the attack by Jose Alvarez, but he, fortunately, survived the attack. Of the horrific killing, Manny stated to newspapers, “I am the surviving victim of a shooting that took the lives of my mother and sister at the hands of my father during Fourth of July weekend, 2023.” He added of the terrible case in which two of his beloved family members’ lives were taken, “It’s a lot of emotions,” he said Monday. “Sadness, a bunch of waves, but I think its support has been amazing personally and from Springfield.”

Underscoring the widespread impact that domestic violence has on domestic violence victims, especially those victims who are faced with abusers that have access to firearms and other weapons, the statistics reveal that there was a 63% increase in domestic violence firearm-related deaths in the State of Illinois between the years 2019 and 2023. Maralea Negron, an advocate and director of Policy and research for The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, said of the terrible situation domestic violence abusers place their victims in, “We see the impacts…It feels like every week, we see a new headline of survivors that are being either shot or killed at the hands of someone who says (they) love them and is experiencing firearms-involved domestic violence.”

Getting Legal Help if You are a Victim of Domestic Violence in Chicago – Chicago Domestic Violence Lawyer

It is critical for individuals in Chicago who are being abused at home by a loved one to know that there are options to get help. It is important to get help as soon as possible, before a dangerous domestic violence situation escalates. The experienced Chicago domestic violence lawyers at the law firm Arnoux Sharma Standeford, LLC are here to help victims of domestic violence in Chicago get protection and legal help. They can help you by listening to your story to see if they can fight for your rights and represent you in your Chicago domestic violence case. Do not hesitate to get legal help today. Contact Arnoux Sharma Standeford, LLC and speak to a lawyer about your case now.

Source:

nbcchicago.com/news/local/pritzker-signs-karinas-law-to-protect-domestic-violence-survivors-from-gun-violence/3670731/