Illinois: Egregious Gun Dealer Licensing Bills Defeated

Thanks to your continued efforts contacting your elected officials, anti-gun senators were unable to gather enough support to override Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto on two bills that would have driven your local gun stores out of business with onerous red tape and regulations.  Your NRA would also like to thank Gov. Rauner and the legislators who stood strong in defending the Second Amendment over the course of the past year against these poorly thought out pieces of legislation.  Please take the time to thank your state Senator who voted against Senate Bill 1657 and House Bill 1273.  Click the “Take Action” button to contact them.

Senate Bill 1657, sponsored by Senator Don Harmon (D-39), and House Bill 1273, sponsored by Representative Kathleen Willis (D-77), would have created an onerous gun dealer licensing scheme within the state.  While the purported intent of this legislation was to enhance “responsible business practices,” these bills only proved that the intention is to close as many federally licensed firearm dealers (FFLs) as possible.  The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) licenses and closely monitors all FFLs and strictly enforces any violation of federal law.  SB 1657 and HB 1273 would have gone so far beyond federal law in its mandatory regulations and red tape imposed at the state level that they would have almost assuredly forced the closure of most firearm dealers and prevented prospective owners from opening new ones.  This legislation sought to create so many department divisions, anti-gun 5-member licensing boards, and licensing fees that dealers would have been forced to close through oversight by anti-gun appointees or being priced out of business. 

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates on issues affecting your Second Amendment rights in Illinois.