By TGM Staff
On Jan. 17, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed Senate Bill 337 into law, a measure passed by the previous legislature in 2018, but held by the Senate President John Cullerton who made the unprecedented move of placing a procedural hold on the bill in order to avoid the possibility of a veto under the previous Governor, Bruce Rauner (R), and then removed the hold to send the bill to a newly inaugurated governor.
The measure, as amended by state Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-77), directs the state police to create an electronic transaction form for firearm transfers, which will amount to a registry according to the National Rifle Association. This solution in search of a problem will not only waste taxpayer funded resources, but it will also not improve public safety. Criminals, by definition, do not obey the law, and acquire the vast majority of their firearms illegally such as by theft, on the black market, or by straw purchase. A registry would not affect criminals as it could only include lawful transactions. The only purpose that firearm registries serve is to facilitate future confiscations of firearms from those who currently own them legally. (See book review of Gun Control in the Third Reich elsewhere in this issue.)
In addition, SB 337 will create onerous gun dealer licensing within the state in addition to their federal firearms license. While the purported intent of this law was to enhance “responsible business practices,” this law only proves 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 337 goes so far beyond federal law in its mandatory regulations and red tape imposed at the state level that they will almost assuredly force the closure of most firearm dealers and prevent prospective owners from opening new ones. The NRA says this law seeks to create so many department divisions, anti-gun 5-member licensing boards, and licensing fees that dealers will be forced to close through oversight by anti-gun appointees or being priced out of business.
