Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed legislation Monday that makes it a crime to sell a gun privately without having the buyer pass a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports Gov. Pritzker described private gun sales as “deadly loophole” as he signed the legislation.
He added, “Prior to this change people with dangerous histories who shouldn’t possess a weapon — and the Illinois State Police denies firearm licenses to thousands of these individuals a year — could avoid detection through a private sale. That’s a deadly loophole, and in Illinois, we are closing that down for good.”
The legislation signed by Pritzker will expand retail point-of-sale background checks to include private points-of-sale, too. This expansion will criminalize an individual who sells a 5-shot revolver to a lifelong neighbor, unless that neighbor first undergoes an FBI-conducted NICS check.
On August 30, 2015, Breitbart News pointed to a University of Chicago Crime Lab report showing that inmates locked up for gun crimes avoid getting their firearms from sources that require background checks. And the Chicago-Tribune noted that Crime Lab co-director Harold Pollack said “some of the pathways [regarding guns] people are concerned about don’t seem so dominant.”
When viewed through the findings of the Crime Lab, the newly signed universal background check legislation may have little impact on criminals’ acquisition of firearms.
For example, California has universal background checks, yet South Los Angeles saw shooting victims surge 742 percent during the first 16 days of 2021.
Another interesting point is that mass shooters almost always acquire their guns via background checks, so expanding them to include private sales will have little impact on mass shooters.
Colorado has universal background checks, yet the March 22, 2021, Boulder gunman acquired a firearm via a background checks and was able to kill 10 innocents at grocery store.
Other mass shooters who acquired their guns via background checks include:
- Atlanta-area attacker (March 16, 2021)
- Parkland high school attacker (February 14, 2018)
- Texas church attacker (November 5, 2017)
- Las Vegas attacker (October 1, 2017)
- Alexandria attacker (June 14, 2017))
- Orlando attacker (June 12, 2016)
- UCLA gunman (June 1, 2016))
- San Bernardino attackers (December 2, 2015)
- Colorado Springs attacker (October 31, 2015)
- Umpqua Community College attacker (October 1, 2015)
- Alison Parker’s attacker (August 26, 2015)
- Lafayette movie theater attacker (July 23, 2015)
- Chattanooga attacker (July 16, 2015)
- Alleged Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal attacker (Jun 17, 2015)
- Muhammad Carton Contest attackers (May 3, 2014)
- Las Vegas cop killers (June 9, 2015)
- Santa Barbara attacker (May 23, 2014)
- Fort Hood attacker (April 2, 2014)
- Arapahoe High School attacker (December 13, 2013)
- D.C. Navy Yard attacker (September 16, 2013)
- Aurora movie theater attacker (July 20, 2012)
- Gabby Giffords’ attacker (January 8, 2011)
- Fort Hood attacker (November 5, 2009)
- Northern Illinois University attacker (February 14, 2008)
- Virginia Tech attacker (April 16, 2007).
The legislation singed by Pritzker takes effect in 2024.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News 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 Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.