The toll of gun violence in Illinois continues to devastate our communities. While the majority of gun dealers are responsible, 90% of gun crimes in the US can be traced back to 5% of gun dealers, some of the most notorious of which are in Illinois. We call on you to listen to the 92% of Illinoisans who support licensing firearms dealers, and urge you to support legislation mandating state licensing of gun dealers to protect our communities from gun violence.
Why is this important?
I'm concerned about the increasing number of deaths and injuries due to gun violence in Illinois each year. In 2014 alone, there were 1,179 gun deaths in the state. It is far too easy for criminals to obtain guns. According to a report of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, 20% of all guns recovered from crime scenes between 2009 and 2013 came from four dealers in Illinois. Requiring gun dealers to be licensed would hold these bad apple dealers accountable, and reduce the number of illegal guns coming into our communities.
