Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Gun Dealer Licensing Act (GDLA) in January 2019, shortly after taking office. Despite claims from the bill’s sponsors that it would not impact dealers or cause any hardship, those predictions have not aged well. In reality, the new law has decimated gun dealers in the Land of Lincoln.
Illinois’ new Dealer Licensing Act took effect on Wednesday, July 17th. If dealers didn’t have approval from the Illinois State Police, or have an application on file to become licensed dealers (with the heavy fee to accompany the application) they can no longer transfer firearms to non-dealers as part of gun sales.
In December, 2018, the BATFE reports that Illinois had 2,436 federally licensed dealers (Type 03 Curios and Relics dealers excluded).
Just two days before the July 17th deadline, the Illinois State Police reported to media that 1,140 dealers had applied for their Illinois licensing. That’s only 46% of dealers reported at the first of the year that wished to remain in the business of selling guns.
Looking at the BATFE’s numbers from June, 2019 (2,350 dealers), that still means under 50% of existing dealers (48.5%) planning to at least try to jump through the newly erected hurdles created by the GDLA to continue to do business.
The Center Square has the story:
More than half of Illinois’ 2,351 federally licensed gun dealers haven’t yet applied for state licenses required by the new Illinois’ Firearm Dealer License Certification Act, which takes effect Wednesday.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the state’s Firearm Dealer License Certification Act on Jan. 18 after taking office. Lawmakers held the measure over from the previous General Assembly after former Gov. Bruce Rauner vowed to veto it. Rauner had previously vetoed a similar bill. He said it would lead to small businesses closing and make it harder for people to legally buy firearms.
The law Pritzker signed added regulations for gun stores that business owners have said are too burdensome. The law requires gun stores, including pawnshops that want to sell firearms, to have a state license on top of a federal license. It’s set to take effect Wednesday [July 17th].
Previous Governor Bruce Rauner saw the writing on the wall and refused to sign the bill. However, our new Gov. Pritzker, along with the bill’s sponsors, see driving off dealers as a feature, not a bug.
In June 2019, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported there were 2,351 licensed dealers in Illinois. Illinois State Police officials said Monday that 1,140 applications for state licenses were submitted. That’s a difference is 1,211, or more than half the federally licensed dealers in the state. However, it’s unclear how many of those 1,211 federal license holders are brick-and-mortar retailers. The vast majority of dealers impacted are expected to be small operations.
Several gun stores have announced that they planned to close because of the new law.
Several? Illinois Carry has compiled a cursory list of brick and mortar stores that are folding – or at least no longer selling firearms.
Airline Pawn- Rosewood, IL: Surrendering FFL
Applied Arsenal Finishes- Watterman, IL: Moving to Minnesota
Birds-N-Brooks Army Navy Surplus- Springfield, IL: No longer selling firearms
Boomers & Blasters- Peru, IL: Closed
Dale’s Guns- Marengo, IL: Closed
Fishman’s Sporting Goods- Girard, IL: Closing
Gilmor Guns- Loves Park, IL: Closing
G M Bartelmay Guns- Morton, IL: Closing
Lazy S- Flora, IL: Closing
Lebar Custom Engraving- LeLand, IL: Closing
Lost Creek Trading Post- Marshall, IL: Moving to Indiana
M-Fred’s Guitars & Guns- Mattoon, IL: Surrendered FFL
Oglesby & Oglesby- Springfield, IL: Closing
Phil’s Village Sports Center- Arlington Heights, IL: Closing
PM Shooting- Troy, IL: Closing
The Ridge Gun Shop- Herod, IL: Closed
Shawnee Gun Service, Elizabethtown, IL: Closed
Shooting, Inc- Troy IL: Closing
The Gun Doctor- Henning, IL: Closing
Walnut Creek Shooters Supply- Brownstown, IL: No longer “selling” firearms as of 7/17
Wild Dave’s- Herrin, IL: Closing
The story continues with Todd Vandermyde summing thing up:
“As we expected, this was never about accountability, or regulating an industry, it was about driving gun dealers out of business and making it harder for people to have access to their Second Amendment rights,” said FFL Illinois Executive Director Todd Vandermyde.
Meanwhile, one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Don Harmon, told The Center Square how happy he is with the effect of the new law.
“I’m thrilled 1,100 gun dealers have applied,” said state Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Brook, who sponsored the measure. “I think it’s a real success.”
He’s thrilled only 1100 dealers have applied. No doubt he would sing a different tune if over half of Illinois polling places had closed, making it more difficult for people to vote.
The bill, passed in the previous General Assembly session, made it to the new governor’s desk through parliamentary chicanery. The Illinois State Rifle Association has filed suit to challenge the new law, citing among other things the manner with which it became law.
Matt Larosiere reported on it here:
Last January, Illinois governor J. B. Pritzker signed into law a strict licensing regime for the state’s firearm dealers. It required any retailer selling guns in the state to go through a separate state certification process, in addition to the already existing federal licensing regime.
The state also requires owners to install video surveillance equipment, in addition to a litany of state-specific training and security requirements. The state certification costs up to $1,500 for three years. The law took effect last Wednesday.
This week, a group of dealers and the Illinois State Rifle Association brought suit against the state, arguing that the new law imposes an unfair and discriminatory financial burden on business owners. The governor’s office defends the proposal on the grounds that it makes the state safer, invoking terms such as “commonsense.”
Matt’s not terribly optimistic on their likelihood of success:
While the law is silly and will likely do little more than the lawsuit alleges, the plaintiffs here have a tremendous hill to climb. While law isn’t too terribly developed in the Second Amendment context, when it comes to other exercises of fundamental rights, the courts have been far more lenient when it comes to restrictions on businesses. It’s not often that a federal court even entertains, much less vindicates, the rights of businesses.
I serve as the executive director of Guns Save Life and we considered a legal challenge as well. In short order, we passed. In talking with the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, we all agree that the suit would likely fail and agreed with the reasoning behind that assessment.
Even if the challenge should gain traction, the new governor and General Assembly would simply come into session and pass a new Gun Dealer Licensing Act. That would moot the challenge and all those legal fees incurred fighting the existing law would go un-refunded by the state. After all, you only get reimbursed on legal challenges if the petitioner wins their case.
Frankly, the votes are there in the Illinois General Assembly to pass it again as the party of gun control now has a super-majority in both houses. And our governor would delight in signing it once more.
Furthermore, if anti-gun legislators have a chance at a re-do, they could make it a lot more onerous to both dealers and private citizens seeking to buy and sell guns privately.
Time will tell how this shakes out. All of the home-based FFLs I’ve talked to in my travels as GSL’s point man — save exactly two — told me they have decided not to seek the expensive Illinois gun dealer license and expose themselves to all of the liabilities it imposes.
If this legislation comes to your state, you should fight it vigorously if you like a healthy marketplace when it comes to places to buy guns.
A license is the State’s way of looking at what you’re doing, thinking it can make some money from it, declaring it to be illegal, and then offering to give you an exemption from the illegal activity if you pay an extortion fee.
How many things required licenses 200 years ago? 100 years ago? 50 years ago?
Can’t even take a seed found on your own land, plant it in a clay pot you made with your own hands, and sell the seedling without at least two licenses in Texas. In other states, you need three, sometimes four licensees.
Is this whole sad mess because of the thing Springfield Armory breathed life into during Springfield’s shady anti gun backroom political dealings?
I believe they had a solid hand in it, yes. At least, I come to that conclusion based upon the reporting of information from this site and a couple others during the initial brew ha ha.
And they won by one vote. Keep boycotting Springfield Armory.
And the only thing these licenses are for is another parasitic cost to business. I also have to sit in front of a computer to take 4 hrs. of CEU’s per yr. I can finish this in 2 hrs. but still have to keep the computer active for a total of 4 hrs. The time wasted plus the cost of the CEU’s is just another overhead cost that figures into the hourly rate charged to consumers. Then they moan and groan about a shortage of electricians , duh ! I do all this crap and when I am legally working in a plant or refinery and go talk to another contractor that is working there, very few can speak English.
I don’t agree with your statement about selling potted plants. If you are not in the business of selling potted plants you are not required to have any Texas permits. If you are a dealer, meaning you sell potted plants as a business, then you are required to have a permit from the tax authority (aka, Comptroller of Public Accounts) and a license from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Double post, but America has become land of the debt, home of the slave.
Well, it has always been the home of the slaves. Nowadays they just discriminate less in their tyranny. The propaganda for discrimination is very much still alive and pretty much been flipped on its ear, but the slavery is a different form. More of a King George III form.
The power to tax is the power to destroy.
A State required licensing fee is nothing more than a tax by another name.
The $1,500 “fee” for 3 years managed to cut gun dealers in half even though it was only $500 per year. Look for a future legislature to raise that to $3,000 for 3 years based on the success they have had with the current law in closing gun stores and based on no successful relief from the courts.
And so on. Eventually they could price all of the gun stores out of business.
The licensing fees are the least expensive part of it. Most dealers looking at it were facing 15K in expenses the first year.
That also does not take into account that many dealers lack the knowledge to computerize all of their store operations.
This is how it’s going down. Pass legislation against ownership, nobody complies. Pass legislation regulating sales, and defacto ban. That said, sooner or later these folks are going to get the war they’ve been spoiling for.
this measure accomplished exactly what it was intended to do…reminiscent of the clinton purge of the nineties…and built upon a strategy of thinly-veiled lies….
Yup, asshole Bill Clinton caused me to have to relinquish my license. I had been a home-based dealer, had had my FFL for 15 to 20 years. Bubba comes up with directive that all dealers had to have a store front business……no more home-based dealers such as me.
During the time I had my license, I sold ONLY to NRA members, charging them $10.00 over my cost. It helped them out by saving them quite a bit of money, and thus, they had more they could spend for reloading supplies, etc.
Just shows how some Democrat shithead can ruin a good thing for a lot of people, and the story continues today………..
Courts ain’t gonna do a thing. When some politicians, judges, and enforcement agents are at the end of a rope, it will stop. Crazy? Ok, then what exactly is the purpose of the 2nd amendment? TTAG will delete this comment, so we obviously think it’s about hunting and robbers. No?
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
— U.S. Declaration of Independence, voted July 2, 1776
****
We The People are less and less aware of what our rights even are. Last week, I wore a t-shirt to work displaying the Preamble and opening text of the Constitution, and a younger co-worker asked me what it was. I looked at him and said “look at the first three words in large lettering”, but he still didn’t know. Another co-worker walked by and said it was the Declaration. I shook my head and said no, that one starts with the words “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that have connected them with another…” and recited thru the “Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness”. They were shocked that anyone even knew this.
The first person smiled and said as he walked away, “the only reason you know that is ‘cuz you’re white…”
It’s an uphill battle competing with Instagram for young people’s minds.
It’s an uphill battle competing with Instagram for young people’s minds.
Absolutely. Add Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and whatever else there is to the list also.
They simply don’t care. As long as they have their face buried in their cellphone, all is right with the world.
“Cuz your white
Comment on their black culture with a “Cuz your black ” and youre out the door.
I live in SoCal. It’s a Latino “La Raza” culture here.
Presumably, this was a feature, not a bug. Like when the “rules” changed for LTCs in MA: the number of LTCs decreased.
And Maura told us we can’t sell AR lowers because, “you know what I meant by assault weapons.”
If only there was something that Healey would do that could get her removed from office before she permanently disables what’s left of the MA gun community.
And the consumer facing companion bill IL wants to pass would require fingerprints with the foid card to discourage gun purchases. Also put a very low ceiling on what vendors could charge for said prints so as to make it virtually impossible to get a foid and buy a gun.
Is impeding the practice an enumerated civil right a crime?
Are we tired of all these 2A “wins”, yet?
And hopefully to be the first….where was/is the NRA suing the crap out of Ill-noise?
The NRA doesn’t have time for anything except punching itself in the face, lately.
And LaPierre buying thousand dollar suits! NRA just wants your bucks. Better to support Second Amendment Foundation – they actually function.
Too bad ILL-inois is the new Killifornia! And no living republicans in the Senate or Congress – just RINOS.
Ah, Fred, pretending to be “one of the guys”, as if you are actually a conservative or libertarian trying to advance the cause of the Second Amendment, when your only real purpose is to sew seeds of distrust and discord. You’re get people fighting, and let them destroy themselves, that’s it. I hope people see through your bull.
Where were the voters in illinois who voted these people in? A legislature of anti gun types is formed and you expect a gun org to stop them? The courts might give relief if they are fair but not likely.
As chicago wants, chicago gets. The libtard morons in that shithole of a city basically control the state. The best part is that the fat man was voted in on the promise of financial responsibility, first we get this joke of a law, then he doubles the gas tax, now if we want to trade in a car, we not only pay the sales tax on the new car, we get taxed on the trade in value of your current vehicle. And they wonder why so many people are leaving.
Just a clarification… it’s Chitcago!
FYI
“A legislature of anti gun types is formed and you expect a gun org to stop them? ”
No, I expect the “Oldest civil rights organization in the nation”, to be there, loud an proud, lobbying to block, launching a civil suit, rallying the pro-gun community, even if the effort proved entirely futile. Losing 50% of FFLs in a city is not a minor irritant.
Does this suprise anyone? It was the intent all along. Firearms owners every where; take your wealth, and taxes, and flee.
Remember to thank Springfield Armory!
+1. Sic semper proditoribus. May they rot in squalor.
Forgetting (or ignoring) the fact that they actively fought this and helped temporarily defeat it during that legislative session.
You mean like someone trying to extinguish the fire consuming their own house…when they are the very one that poured fuel on the fire????
It was one guy who did that, under a separate organization, and they promptly fired him for it. The Springfield owners were on the board, but an organization’s board is not involved in day-to-day decisions. That is just how boards work. Claims that they knew is purely speculation, without actual evidence.
@EWTHeckman…If the owners were on the board, then they “own” this too.
Being on the board gave them the ability to fire his ass when he misbehaved. It doesn’t necessarily give them foreknowledge that he would.
All their public (and thus provable) actions were 100% pro-2A. Claims that they knew of his actions are mere guesswork at best.
If you’re going to continue to assume guilt until proven innocent, I’m going to have to forcefully continue to oppose that horrific principle, because it’s the exact same one behind Black Lives Matter, rape accusations, Russian Collusion, etc., etc., etc. If kangaroo courts and banana republic dictator tactics are your thing, that’s your problem. I ain’t backing down without actual evidence of guilt. Merely being on the board is not such evidence.
Thanks Springfield and Rock River! Benedict Arnolds.
Did those two get a exemption when this went on effect?
I stopped following the new concerning this.
As manufacturers? Yes.
Darn tootin! Their lobbyist carved them out slicker than snot! Along with big box dealers.
Watch out! tdiinva will tell you to stfu about SA and RRA.
Hes tired of hearing about people being pissed that they back-stabbed people in their own industry and then lied about it.
I….on the other hand ……hope this renews the anger toward SA and RRA and that they feel it financially.
But that’s just me.
I will still not give SA any o’ my money. Even though my old XD40 has 12,000 + rds through it. RRA who?
But they still don’t wanna take your guns, they support the 2A….hahahaha. As they laugh while dragging you to the gulag. Politicians in general are scummy at best, Libtards give scum a bad name.
Ask the froggies if the revolution was a success. Guillotining even children. Or any commies around the world.
The big difference in all revolutions is that in ‘Murica “we the people” are better armed. Which they can’t seem to get the concept that they cannot make the guns go away no matter what they do. 500+ million in the hands of US. The greatest gift the “Bad orange man” has given is making them go full retard and not hide anymore.
Of course he lied, he’s a politician. Never mind the future out come , I’m just here for the votes because the votes keep me in office and the office keeps me in money. Now what is it you want me to tell you, ? It’s all fine and dandy and you’ll get what you want, just vote for me. Polygraph every one of them
Truth be known, I believe the intent of this bill, regardless of what the “officials” in the state say, was to drive out as many firearms dealers as possible.
That’s going to be the end result no doubt. However they were aiming at one particular gun shop, Chuck’s in Riverdale, IL.
I bought my first rifle from the old man at Birds and Brooks. Good folks there.
Strange to think they aren’t selling guns anymore.
One of the best stores in the state. Still there – no guns.
Stop selling guns to Illinois State Police and virtually every other Police Department in the state.
Most buy from out of state dealers anyways, wouldn’t affect them.
If any other types of businesses had those type of fees the law suits and news media coverage would be all over the place but when it comes to driving gun dealers out of business anything is ok no matter how outrageous it is. Its the new way to destroy the Second Amendment rights and expect many more cities and States to do this. And do not expect the courts to lift a finger to preserve the Second Amendment because there was never a gun ban law they did not love.
“If any other types of businesses had those type of fees the law suits and news media coverage would be all over the place but when it comes to driving gun dealers out of business anything is ok no matter how outrageous it is.”
And that makes it vulnerable to being declared unconstitutional by the High Court.
Impeding the practice of a civil right needs to be declared a felony with minimum mandatory prison sentences…
You forgot to tell us to bow and grovel and say “yes, please” so that they’ll get tired of winning and maybe let you continue having your expensive bird guns and fine revolvers after they take my modern pistol and budget AR-15 away.
Must be rough going through life being this stupid. Seriously vlad the impotent, do you ever forget to breathe?
How many crimes will this prevent? ZERO!!!
Crooks already have guns and they can get guns as easily as they can get drugs.
They see 1000 gun dealers going under. I see 1000 gun dealers going underground.
AS we drive the 2nd amendment further and further into the shadowy world of a Inconvenient Amendment, we’ll find more and more gun dealers that simply ignore the law.
This is exactly how we ended up with the myriad of meth and Pot grower/dealers in the US, and the illegal stills a 70 years before that.
You can’t, wave a pen and make a thing you don’t like disappear. Further, when that ‘thing’ is a constitutional right, you only demonstrate that your government is invalid.
@Kyle…and how do you propose those 1000 underground gun dealers get and maintain a steady supply of new guns in order to sustain their businesses? Guns are not the same as homemade meth and weed.
driving out FFL’s isn’t a bug, it’s a feature.
gun control isn’t about reducing “gun violence”. 2/3 of “gun violence” is suicide and yet libs want to legalize doctor assisted suicide. lots of countries have stricter gun control and yet higher murder rates- mexico, brazil, etc. lots of countries have stricter gun control and yet higher suicide rates – japan, korea, etc.
gun control is about control, it’s about making sure the proles and the deplorables have no recourse.
But will it stop criminals from obtaining weapons? I think we already know the answer. Tyranny like this is designed to punish the law abiding. These business owners should have taken their weapons and forced the state to hear them. Intead, they comply and live on their knees.
I, myself look forward to the similar scale reduction in violence in Ill. Which is the point, right — safety?
Just how is this supposed reduction of violence supposed to occur?
“Just how is this supposed reduction of violence supposed to occur?”
The comment is likely snark/sarc
Not always easy to tell, right? A gamble on my part.
“Not always easy to tell, right? A gamble on my part.”
I’m a slow reader, so I “got it” right off.
It was helpful that I knew your postings already.
Yes it’s worked great do far… Right? Punishing law abiding citizens should definitely make it better….
How naive are you?
“Yes it’s worked great do far… Right? Punishing law abiding citizens should definitely make it better….
How naive are you?”
Sometimes understanding things is difficult.
Nowadays sarcasm needs to be labeled as such on the interwebs.
it’s hard to keep up with the tour group.
there will always be stragglers.
“Nowadays sarcasm needs to be labeled as such on the interwebs.”
Nowadays, speed reading can lead one astray. When the conversation is reduced to trading slogans and insults, the conversation is a black hole.
I think I’ll open a gun shop/tobacco shop/liquor store on the Indiana side of the Illinois state line.
I’ll be a bazillionare
Mercysdad.com
In Illinois you are never further than an hour and a half drive from another state. Gas stations and liquor stores that are just out of state have been doing well for years. I believe that Missouri has the best cigarette prices in the country. Guns still have to transfer through an IL FFL though. This new set of regulations is finishing what internet sales started for quite a few of the dealers that are closing. The only thing keeping non-state and county employees in the state is family.
Throw in a “strip joint” for good measure…………..
“Throw in a “strip joint” for good measure…………..”
Gotta have a coin-operated laundromat, too.
I think that we’re all waiting for the NYC case to see how we are going to proceed. If strict scrutiny becomes the policy this becomes a lot more winnable IMO. Godspeed to all the displaced dealers though, I hope to join them sooner than later at leaving this state. It’s not just gun policy that’s going to make me go but their continued desire to make the state the next Detroit.
“If strict scrutiny becomes the policy this becomes a lot more winnable IMO.”
The only problem is, strict scrutiny has exceptions. And they will expend every effort to expand the list of those exceptions until the 2A is a worthless civil right, much like today in California and New York…
Hey!
Detroit has much more reasonable gun laws than Illinois.
not much else though, and not because Detroit hasn’t tried…
Michigan just has firearms preemption, and that keeps Detroit somewhat under control.
Is there even one FFL in Chicago? The last story I’ve read maybe a few years ago concerned law suit fillings over permits to open a store. Hmm, lawmakers only seem to concern themselves with oppressing the law abiding.
Doesn’t Obama’s mentor Father Flagler have a carry permit? If I remember correctly he did, along with a bunch of goons.
“Doesn’t Obama’s mentor Father Flagler have a carry permit?”
What does that have to do with being a federally licensed gun dealer in the city Chicago?
Looks like no:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chicago,+IL/@41.8339042,-88.0121553,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sgun+store!3m4!1s0x880e2c3cd0f4cbed:0xafe0a6ad09c0c000!8m2!3d41.8779971!4d-87.6296997
reason #1896 to not live in illinois anymore…
“During the 19th century, the upper and middle classes had more leisure time than people of previous generations. This led to the creation of a variety of parlour games to allow these gentlemen and ladies to amuse themselves at small parties.”
the favorite parlour game right now in illinois is called:
REARRANGING DECKCHAIRS ON THE TITANIC
in this game:
-j b pritzger is captain smith
-putting up a vote to amend the illinois constitution to allow for a progressive income tax instead of fixing the pensions problem is the iceberg
-republicans in illinois are the ships that sent titanic no less than 6 radio warnings about icebergs
-mike madigan is white star line chairman bruce ismay who engineered the whole disaster and was on the ship at the time of the disaster but somehow survived
-the low income people in illinois on state assistance are the passengers in steerage
and last but not least:
-houses without upside down mortgages that allow the owner to sell fast and get out of the state quick are the lifeboats and just like in the real life version of the game *theres not enough to go around*
Glad I’m not the only one who thinks tdinva(now in wisconsin!) is a jerk. And Ric Allen-I live a mile from Indiana. I spend most of my income there(especially since jabba the prickster DOUBLED gas taxes!). Got my AR at Highland,IN Pawn.I get deals at Cabelas,Blythes,South County and Westforth. They LOVE my $. Big box stores will stay(like Point Blank). The little FFL is f##ked…😫
50% are out of business? In other words, they are halfway to their goal.
And the NRA is doing exactly what about all this infringement?
So much wrong and THey got away with it. I see how it’s going, only the rich will be shooting at the government funded shooting ranges . , I honestly believe the only reason We have firearms is the money made on the taxes . Take that away and firearm and firearm related items sales would be gone as fast as cigarette smoke in a high wind. , , , , , , LOOK ! ! ! without bullets my my grandfathered firearms turn into paper weights, cool, dual use.
It so rare when a law actually has its intended effect.
I’m from Illinois. It breaks my heart to see the liberal whacko Chicago machine destroying the rest of my home state.
It’s just not Chicago. All the downstate county and state employees voting for their pensions and raises. Not to mention the moderate sized shitholes like Peoria, Champaign, Rockford, and Springfield.
It cannot be said enough, elections have consequences.
Two of those shops were in my hometown. I can’t describe enough to you how disgusted I am with my state. On so many different things. My step-son graduates High School in three years and as soon as he does we can leave the state. My wife’s divorce agreement prevents her from leaving till her son is 18. I am moving right across the river to Missouri.
Well there is some potentially good news on the horizon.
What the legislatures and the Governor have done is to conspire to oppress 2nd amendment rights – as the right to purchase an arm is implied by the right to keep and bear arms. Conspiring to oppress Constitutional rights is a violation of 18 U.S. Code 241, which makes it a federal felony, with punishments up to and including a death penalty, to do so. That is a simple fact. The reason states have been getting away with things like this Illinois law is that 18 USC 241 – which has been around in one form or another since 1870, has never been used to protect either 1st or 2nd amendment rights.
The good news? There is actually a DOJ Inspector General investigation of why 18 USC 241 is not being used to protect 1st and 2nd amendment rights. So there is a reasonable chance that the status quo will change.
“Conspiring to oppress Constitutional rights is a violation of 18 U.S. Code 241, which makes it a federal felony,”
Didn SC rule that it is permissible to establish reasonable oppression (suppression) of the Second Amendment?
(Which is akin to proclaiming that people have too much freedom, and someone, somewhere, might misuse their freedom, so government has authority to appoint itself guardian of such people)
The president of my very small gun club in Illinois was an FFL mainly as a convenience for club members, friends and family. He charged $2 per transaction which just covered his licencing costs. He gave it up with this new law.
I’m sorry to see this happen. There was never a more honest and trustworthy person. He followed every rule to a T.
What will I do now? Like may others I have left Illinois. Just this week I have moved to a more civilized state – Alabama. I feel for those unable to leave because of their work, economic, or family situations.
South Carolina used to have a State Firearms License but repealed that around 2012 or 2013 as the Legislature decided the FFL was good enough. The State license was $50 a year. FFLs still have to have State Business License. As best as I can find that is also $50 a year for a small business.
Regulating the cost of guns up has always been a feature of racist gun control historically in the United States. Sadly in 2019 white people don’t understand this. As it has come to affect them. However wealthy white people have always been able to afford guns.
I can see the entire state of Illinois becoming like the City of Bell California. Where nearly the entire budget of Bell California was the salary of the city council and mayor. It seems in the future the state budget of Illinois will be solely for the salaries and pensions of government employees.
This article is short on verifiable facts and loaded with supposition. Not clear (to me) why dealers are being driven out of business. Is it because the fee has been raised to an unreasonable level?
Well, it appears that Illinois has elected a dictator instead of a Governor.
According to Article IV, Section 9 of the Illinois Constitution, any bill passed must be presented to the Governor within 30 days for approval or veto. Since Senate President Cullerton chose to “hold” the bill passed by the General Assembly in May 2018, it expired invalid.
The Illinois Constitution does not provide for waiting until a more accommodative Governor is elected before submitting a bill for approval or veto.
Had a good idea this would happen when J.B.Schitzsger got annointed Premier of Illinois! Illinois has now been turned into a more Communist State than ever! Chicago or little Moscow in full effect has turned into California, New York, of the midwest!
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