SPRINGFIELD - State lawmakers are considering a measure that would force each gun owner to lock up firearms when minors 18 and younger are in the home.

The proposal joins a handful of other gun-related measures state lawmakers are considering this spring. The proposed laws would change not only how guns are stored but also what guns are legal, the use of background checks and gun dealer licensing.

On Wednesday, the House Executive committee approved the firearm storage measure and sent it to the House floor for further debate. The proposal would toughen a law that already applies to homes with children 14-years-old and younger.

Todd Vandermyde, spokesman for the National Rifle Association, said the shift to protect guns in the presence of 18-year-olds is an example of government trying to do too much and on the wrong issue.

"There isn't a week that … goes by that we don't read about a vehicle accident (involving teenagers) and now you are going to try to tell us that we have to, you know, physically lock up every firearm in the house where there is somebody over the age of 14 to 18," he said. "If they can get behind the wheel of a car and they manage to make poor judgments there I don't know how you are going to sit there and tell us that we absolutely have to lock up every firearm in our house."

Chris Boyster, spokesman for Illinois Citizens for Handgun Control said the measure is designed in part to help prevent suicides, which he said are prevalent between these ages.

"We believe that is an age group that needs protection under the law as well," he said. "Suicide risk is greater in this age group. If you have the gun locked and stored you reduce the risk factor for suicide there."

Some lawmakers are worried not just about flying bullets but the lost jobs they say some firearms bills portend. Of particular interest to Quad City area lawmakers are proposals that would prevent the manufacture and possession of .50 caliber rifles and ammunition.

The legislation is pending in the Senate as is another measure that would give people who knowingly have lost their firearm 72 hours to report it. The proposal that would require more strict regulation and licensing of firearms dealers is awaiting debate by a Senate committee.

State Sen. Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo, said he is worried about the effect the .50 caliber weapons and ammunition ban could have on employment in his district.

"If this bill, as drafted, were to pass it would prohibit the manufacture and sale of a whole class… of firearms that are currently being manufactured in the Quad City area," he said. "I think total jobs affected, direct and indirect jobs, would be over 2,000."

Sieben said the result could be that some of the five major firearms manufacturers in his area might decide to relocate their business outside Illinois.

"The places that would benefit most from this bill (the weapons and ammunition ban) are Wisconsin and Iowa," he said. "That would be two places that I am aware of that have been offering incentives to bring their business to those states."

State Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said he does not support the ban and he is convinced one of the four firearm manufacturers in his district would relocate if it is adopted.

"This is a proposal that has far reaching ramifications," he said. "It's very hard to run a business when you are under the threat of so much government interference. I think these companies already have offers on the table from other states to move."

Jacobs added: "It's a worthy cause to take any kind of weapon you don't want off the street. But the second amendment gives the people the right to bear arms and unfortunately there is not a lot of room on this issue for compromise."