SPRINGFIELD - Invoking the memory of last month's massacre at Virginia Tech, a panel of Illinois lawmakers unanimously approved a proposal to "close loopholes" in the state's gun laws.

If approved, the measure would force the state to contribute information to a federal gun database. Further, it would extend the list of persons prohibited from buying a firearm to include mental outpatients judged to be a threat to themselves or others.

Ann Spillane, chief of staff in the Illinois Attorney General's Office, said the state's current database, which is maintained by Illinois State Police, includes only those patients who have received in-patient mental health treatment.

"So, even if you are ordered by a court to get outpatient treatment because you are a danger to yourself or others, the state police wouldn't know about it," she said. "This bill requires that the state police also gather that information."

In participating in the gun database, the state would contribute the names of those rejected from purchasing a firearm in Illinois, but not the reason for the denial.

State Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, says the measure strikes a balance between public safety and individual privacy rights.

"The gun dealers don't get the specific information, they just get the fact that it was a denial for the firearm," he said. "It's the perfect combination of protecting people's civil liberties and their privacy while also protecting the public."

Todd Vandermyde, the National Rifle Association's Springfield lobbyist, was on hand for the vote but offered no opposition during debate before the Senate Public Health Committee.

"We are still studying it," he said of the legislation.

Kotowski said that the Virginia Tech massacre was a brutal reminder that the state needs to tighten gun laws, especially where the mentally ill are concerned.

"But whether that happened or not, the point is that we've got a loophole here that we've got to get closed," he said. "It's a smart thing to do; to protect children and families from people who shouldn't necessarily own guns."

The legislation is Senate Bill 940. It now heads to the full Senate for further debate.

Blackwell Thomas can be reached at blackwell.thomas@lee.net or at 789-0865.