Bill ‘to Shut Down Most Gun Shops’ Drafted in Illinois House

Legislation “to shut down most gun shops” in Illinois is expected to come up for a vote in the state House this week.

The bill, which has yet to be named, would require gun stores to acquire a license from the state even though stores already operate under the auspices of a Federal Firearm License holder (FFL).

To acquire and maintain the license, gun stores would be required to install surveillance equipment sufficient to video tape all gun sales and transactions, to “install state-of-the-art vaults and alarms in their shops,” “to fill out stacks of new forms and keep reams of paper records covering your firearm purchases,” and to allow the Chicago Police Department to “inspect and audit any gun shop in the state at any time.”

The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) warns that the vault and alarm requirement alone could cost each gun store “$2 million.” Those that could not afford it, would be forced to close up shop.

In stores that can afford the licensing requirements, the ISRA predicts a gun store’s additional overhead would add “at least $100 to the cost of firearm purchased from a licensed retailer.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.