SPRINGFIELD – Within days of his inauguration, Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker kept his promise to gun control advocates that supported his campaign last November. Thursday, he signed into law a measure many of them worked to enact for decades that would require an additional layer of bureaucracy for gun dealers within Illinois.
“Gun violence isn’t an issue facing one city, or one region, or one group of people — it affects us all, and I want to thank all those tireless advocates who didn’t rest until our state took commonsense action to prevent gun trafficking,” said Governor JB Pritzker.
“This bipartisan law is a long-overdue step to do more to prevent gun violence, to make sure guns don’t fall into the wrong hands, to make sure that we license gun shops just like restaurant and other businesses, and deter straw purchases, so that we can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone who is not legally allowed to own a gun.”
SB 337 makes Illinois the 16th state to require gun dealers to be certified by the state – in addition to the federal government's licensing requirements.
This new law will be challenged in court, the Illinois State Rifle Association promised.
"The action taken today is another assault on our 2nd Amendment rights. Nothing in this bill is going to enhance public safety in Illinois," the group said in a statement. "The only thing that is being accomplished here is the creation of a bureaucratic nightmare for gun dealers. Rest assured, we will be challenging this new law in court.”
The state licenses for gun dealers measure was passed in the previous General Assembly but was never sent to Governor Rauner because 2nd Amendment rights opponents knew he would veto it, the ISRA said.
"Political gamesmanship like this is just a typical day in Illinois politics. The Illinois State Rifle Association is deeply disappointed in the action taken today, but is certainly not surprised," they said.
The Firearm Dealer License Certification Act requires any gun dealer in the State of Illinois be certified by the Illinois State Police (ISP). State-licensed dealers are required to provide annual training to employees, have video surveillance in gun stores, and be open for inspection by ISP and local law enforcement.
Another part of the new law requires requires the ISP to publish key information related to crime-related firearms and imposes penalties on individuals who fail to maintain a record of a private sale.
These new requirements are in addition to the federal government's licensing requirements.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and several other key Democrats supported the new law.
“It only took Governor Pritzker four days – not four years – to realize that if the state can license a barber shop or a liquor store, we can license gun dealers,” Emanuel said. “I commend Governor Pritzker for prioritizing this important public safety measure that will reduce the number of illegal guns on our streets and allow the Chicago police to further crack down crime.”
The bill signing and Pritzker's comments are viewable HERE by Illinois Channel.
Ok,
If the state can take over add to Federal oversight, then they can do something about illegal immigration too.
Two characters from entertainment: Fred Flinstone (Pritzker) meets Hyman Roth (Emanuel).
Governor, I strongly opposed you signing any bill that will require the oppressive state licensing of Illinois Gun dealers. This bill is designed to unconstitutionally to INFRINGE upon our right to keep & bear arms. How about you anti-2nd amendment liberals raise your children to value human life so they don’t murder? Stop teaching there is NO shame in murdering an unborn baby and sometimes born babies. If an abortion just involved a woman’s body, “maybe” liberals would have an argument; but it doesn’t. An abortion involves two human beings, the woman and her unborn baby. And the whole purpose of an abortion is to destroy that unborn baby’s life. Many decades ago now, scientists discovered that a human life begins at the moment of conception, complete with his/her own unique DNA. How can you support the murder of 60 million unborn and some born babies since 1973. You liberal hypocrites set the example of murdering 60 million babies since 1973 for the children to learn murder is a problem-solving tool. The kids aren’t stupid, when they see you teaching murdering helpless unborn babies is okay, they rationalize that killing is okay because they can’t see it as being immoral. You liberals act like you are taking the moral high road, but the reality is you couldn’t take the moral high road from Adolph Hitler. Hitler too supported abortion. Now our hypocritical Gov Pritkzer whines about gun violence and blames the guns instead of democrat failure to set a good example for children by valuing human life. You abortioncrats teach human life has no value and then feign surprise when big cities like Chicago has 100’s of murders. Abortion and democrats alike are deserving of our hatred for causing people to not value human life. Abortion is man’s inhumanity to man but democrats lie and call it reproductive rights! It sickens me to know people on the left who try to justify the murder of an unborn baby. Of course, they don’t allow the unborn baby a “right” to life, every sane person knows life begins at conception and knows the democrats teach children to NOT value human life by example. You government liberals don’t care about the lives snuffed out, as long as women can murder unborn babies. And then they blame the guns for murders and wonder why there is gun violence, your immorality and hypocrisy are obvious. We know you communist like democrats plan to make gun ownership cost prohibitive and regulate we citizens out of the right to keep & bear arms. Attack the real problem, of why aren’t children being civilized by teaching them to value human life and stop attacking our constitutionally protected right to keep & bear arms. Guns are not the problem; uncivilized people are the problem, attack that problem, not our constitutionally protected rights. Mr. Governor, you should reconsider and unsign the bill which will require oppressive licensing of Illinois gun dealers! Illinois govt needs to govern, and stop ruling like an unethical third world banana republic dictator. We Illinois taxpayers have no respect or confidence in Illinois state govt, and this is just one reason why….
Now if he would go after illegal aliens with the same degree of determination.
After all, guns are legal under the 2nd Amendment but it is unlawful to be in the country illegally.
Too bad all guns can’t vote, then he would want more of them.
Pritzker, a true Democrat, creates another layer of bureaucracy to waste taxpayers’ money and gun owners’ time and, because they owe him their new jobs, he creates another mob of Democrat Party voters.