Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have required federally licensed Illinois gun dealers to acquire a state license for gun sales.
The state license would have been good for five years and would have cost $1,000.
The Washington Post reports that the bill, the Gun Dealer Licensing Act, was sponsored by State Rep. Kathleen Willis (D). In addition to state licenses it would have “required training for gun shop employees and videotaping of ‘critical areas’ of businesses, including where guns are stored.”
Rauner told WJPF radio that the Gun Dealer Licensing Act would pose too big a burden economically. He described it as an “unnecessary, burdensome regulation,” saying, “It’s redundant on top of existing federal regulations, it’s crushing to our small business owners and creates bureaucracy that really doesn’t help keep our communities safer.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel described Rauner’s veto as “cruel” and “cold.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.