Illinois New Bill SB-1657: What You Need To Know
Illinois has a new bill that is floating around and it doesn’t look good for small business FFL (Federal Firearms License) holders. SB-1657 wants to add an additional process on top of the federal laws that are already on the books. Now with a new Democratic governor, it looks like it will be signed into law very soon.
What is SB-1657?
This bill will create the Gun Dealer Licensing Act. This act creates a licensing board of 5 members that are appointed by the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation. The board will recommend policies, procedures, and rules of small business FFL holders.
Nothing in this bill talks or even mentions stopping gun violence, and Chicago has some of the worst gun violence in the country yet some of the strictest gun laws.
SB-1657 is very vague and mentions charging yearly fees in order to get and hold an FFL. I have heard extreme numbers like $2,300 a year and even up to $5,000 a year. This will essentially crush small business in the state. Big box stores and firearm manufactures in the state will be able to pay these yearly fees but one thing about that. They are exempt!
This bill also mentions that security cameras need to be on the site of where business is being conducted and the ISP (Illinois State Police) needs to be able to monitor the camera footage. What if you are a home based FFL and sell online only? SB-1657 doesn’t specify details and leaves this most likely up to the licensing board, and I guarantee they will have an anti-gun agenda.
The ISP can also search through all records and 4473s of the FFL holder at any time without notice. What if the records are bad and doesn’t satisfy the ISP? We don’t know yet but I can assume it will be outrageous fines for the business.
What is the status of SB-1657?
Currently, the bill has been passed by the Senate and the house but was vetoed by the governor Bruce Rauner in April of 2018. Unfortunately, all he did was buy time because now Illinois has a new governor, J.B. Pritzker, and he has publicly stated he will sign this bill into law. I don’t know when but early this year it will probably happen.
What can we do?
I am afraid not much. Illinois politicians have had a long track record of corruption and not supporting the people of the state. This bill will do nothing to protect people from gun violence and it will only hurt small FFL dealers. It’s just another way for the state to steal money.
The ATF already has a process for obtaining a FFL and you have to pay federal fees. Why add another hoop for business to jump through? This bill will do nothing but harm people in the long run.
I suggest everyone who disagrees with this call and voice your anger to your local representatives and let them know what you think about SB-1657. I myself want to get my FFL and start selling guns online and this bill will affect me greatly. When I ask my friends for advice on this issue they say get out and move to another state. It’s unfortunate that Illinois has created an environment where that is the best option.
What does everyone think of SB-1657? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
