The Illinois legislature has again moved to regulate gun dealers. It comes after Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a similar measure back in March, calling it “onerous bureaucracy.”
To satisfy Rauner’s concerns from the first time around, lawmakers from both parties revamped the legislation, calling it gun dealer certification. Instead of all-out licensing, the state would simply certify that a dealer is running a clean business. That, they say, would cut down on costs and red tape opponents took issue with in the first place.
Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison) says the measure will still help to curb illegal gun sales, but now is more business-friendly.
“I cannot stress that enough! I stated that numerous times. It is not going to put a gun shop out of business,” Willis exasperatedly told the House during a debate.
The effort rose from the ashes of a failed attempt to license gun shops at the state level. That bill, Senate Bill 1657, would have required gun dealers to register for a five-year license with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The idea was to ensure professional standards, like proper employee training and adequate video surveillance, were being met. […]
The effort was not enough to win over some, however, with most downstate lawmakers in both parties voting “no.” In addition to concerns about the effect it would have on small businesses and law-abiding gun owners, many believed the measure to be a slippery slope to a gun registry.
Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-West Dundee, invoked “Red Dawn,” a 1984 movie where the Soviet Union invades the United States, in stating his opposition.
“When the bad guys invaded the town, what did they do? They went to the sporting goods store and they wanted to look up the gun registry,” Skillicorn said. “They wanted to look up the records of who owned the guns. Nothing is going to stop the state of Illinois from looking up this information if we now require this. This is a gun registry and that’s it.”
Rauner Campaign Releases New Digital Ad: “Going to Bat for Illinois”
Today, the Rauner campaign launched a new digital ad, “Going to Bat for Illinois.” It features the governor touring the Wrigleyville neighborhood and talking about the Chicago Cubs’ rebuild that resulted in a World Series championship.
Born near Wrigley Field, Governor Rauner says that just like the Cubs, we can turn Illinois around with more jobs, lower taxes, and ending corruption in state government.
