Giffords Denounces Governor Rauner’s Veto of Bipartisan Bill to Slow the Flow of Illegal Guns
March 13, 2018 – Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, denounced Governor Bruce Rauner for vetoing a bill that would have better protected his state’s communities from gun violence. Last month, the Illinois House of Representatives passed the Gun Dealer Licensing Act (SB 1657) to help curb the flow of illegal guns within Illinois and sent it to Governor Rauner’s desk for his signature.
Statement from Captain Mark Kelly, co-founder of Giffords:
“Governor Rauner has failed his state. Communities across Illinois have called on him to take action to stop the horror and heartache that gun violence brings to our communities. But instead he is playing politics with gun violence, siding with the gun lobby over the safety of our kids. Fortunately, the people of Illinois will soon have the opportunity to vote Bruce Rauner out of office and elect a governor who will champion safer gun laws.”
The bill, backed by Giffords, would have given state authorities and law enforcement the tools to encourage better business practices among federally licensed gun dealers, and hold corrupt dealers accountable. Negligent gun dealers within Illinois fuel the illegal gun trade. From 2009 to 2013, 40 percent of the guns used in crimes in Chicago came from gun dealers within Illinois. But thanks to loopholes in federal law and a lack of federal resources for enforcement, Illinois doesn’t have the tools and authority it needs to combat illegal or negligent business practices that threaten Illinois families.
Between 2002 – 2014, 14,273 people were killed with guns in Illinois, nearly three times the number of all U.S. combat troops killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. A person is killed with a gun in Illinois every eight hours.
In 2016, Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords helped launch the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition, which brought together gun violence prevention advocates, faith leaders, medical professionals and others to urge support for common sense gun violence prevention policies, including the Gun Dealer Licensing Act. Captain Mark Kelly also met with leaders in Illinois last spring to advocate for the bill which will help reduce the illegal trafficking of firearms through straw purchasers, keeping guns out of the wrong hands.
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