CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police and Illinois lawmakers are calling for stiffer penalties for repeat gun offenders they say are driving much of the city’s increase in violence.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and state Sen. Kwame Raoul say new legislation would ensure people responsible for many of Chicago’s shootings spend more time behind bars.

The measure would require judges to impose prison terms on the higher end of sentencing guidelines for offenders previously convicted of a gun crime.

Chicago saw 315 homicides in the first half of the year – an increase of more than 100 over the same period last year. On average, nearly 15 people were shot daily in June.

Johnson says if the legislation were law, more than 50 people involved in shootings this year would’ve been in prison.