Metropolis….A few short days into his term as Governor, JB Pritzker has signed legislation that creates another layer of bureaucracy for gun dealers in Illinois. State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says he disagrees with the action taken by Governor Pritzker on Thursday.
“When the Governor ran for Congress, he campaigned on a platform to ban handguns,” Windhorst said. “His interpretation of the Constitution certainly does not align with mine or the vast majority of Southern Illinoisans. Had I been in the General Assembly during the debate on this legislation, my vote would have been a resounding NO. I couldn’t disagree more with the signing of SB 337. I fear for the small business owners in my district that will now face further financial and regulatory obligations.”
Once it takes effect, SB 337 will now create new licensing costs and regulations for small, independent gun dealerships. There were several different versions of the so-called ‘gun dealer licensing bill’ in the 100th General Assembly. In regard to SB 337, Second Amendment supporters across Illinois mobilized more than 4,000 opponents to appear on the record as opposing the legislation when it was presented to the House Judiciary Committee.
“Small gun dealers already have to have a state license for the owner and a state license for the dealer, and possibly a local license in addition to the federal license that is already required. This new law also allows for local governments to impose additional requirements on gun dealers. Duplicative regulations are harmful to small businesses and they don’t make much sense in the real world. However, the action taken on SB 337 by Governor Pritzker is far more about politics than it is about policy. Law-abiding gun owners and dealers are not the cause of the violence that we hear about on the streets of Chicago.”
Windhorst says he is well-aware of the likelihood that more gun regulations are coming, as Democrats now hold super-majorities in both the House and Senate, and hold all six Constitutional offices, including the Governor’s office.
“When it comes to these Chicago-led gun grabs, I’m going to stand up for the people of the 118th district and vote No every time.” Windhorst said. “The oath of office I just took obliges me to defend our Constitution. I will always vote to protect our Second Amendment rights, each and every time these onerous regulations are foisted on the law-abiding citizens of the State of Illinois.”
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