(Springfield, IL) — Repeat offenders in Illinois could soon be looking at least seven years in prison for simply having an illegal gun. The Illinois House yesterday approved a plan to require judges, mainly in Chicago, to explain themselves anytime they sentence someone to less than seven years in prison for a gun crime. Chicago Police officials want the new law, they say to punish repeat offenders in the city. But many Chicago lawmakers who voted against the plan say it will simply send more people to prison and won’t impact Chicago’s violence problems.