Governor Bruce Rauner Dodges Questions About Gun Dealer Bill

CHICAGO — Ahead of next week's primary election, Gov. Bruce Rauner repeatedly declined to say if he intends to sign a gun control bill passed by Illinois lawmakers last week. The Gun Dealer Licensing Act would setting up a statewide licensing scheme for gun shops on top of existing licenses issued by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The governor refused multiple times to answer the question of whether he would sign the bill when pressed by reporters at the the Thompson Center Monday. He said repeatedly he supports a "comprehensive solution" without specifying if or when he planned to veto the bill that's been sitting on his desk since Feb. 28.

Rauner had said he was working on a bipartisan basis to come up with "real solutions."

But the governor steadfastly refused to comment on the bill that's already on his desk.

"Are you going to sign it or are you not?" he was asked.

"Comprehensive solution, that's what I support," the governor said.

He was asked if that meant he was waiting for a full package of gun bills to pass the General Assembly.

"Comprehensive solution is what I'm advocating for," he repeated.

Rauner was asked if he thought the bill was redundant because firearms dealers are already federally licensed.

"Again, I'm gonna look at a comprehensive solution."

Seeing how effective "Yes" or "No" questions were with the governor, another reporter switched tactics.

"Why not just sign this one now and work out the details with the others later?"

"Again. Comprehensive solution is what I'm advocating," he said.

Before reporters asked for specifics, Rauner had laid out a set of general objectives that he suggested would be part of such a "comprehensive" gun control measures.

"I'm advocating that we try to accomplish four things," Rauner said. "One is to ban bump stocks, number two is to find ways to keep our schools safer – there are many things we can do in that regard – third, we should find better ways, more thoughtful ways, to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill."

Three such bills are awaiting passage through the Illinois Senate. The fourth and most broad proposed solution was not obviously connected to any pending bills, although a bill named after murdered Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer would ban the sale of high-capacity magazines and body armor to non-law enforcement, military or security personnel.

"I believe we should find ways to work together to better support our police officers, our law enforcement officers who put their safety at risk to keep our families safe," Rauner said. A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately respond to a query about what kind of support he was speaking about.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has delivered a letter to the governor asking him to sign the bill. He pointed out some of the other industries – like professional hair braiders and those wishing to sell wholesale fish or exotic aquatic – that must be already licensed to operate in the state.

"Any Illinois business that wants to sell liquor or tobacco, eggs or wholesale aquatic life, or to cut and braid hair, must be licensed by the state. Why should gun dealers be any exception?" Emanuel said last week.

"This isn't difficult: if we can license barber shops, we can license gun dealers."

State Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) has worked to pass such a licensing bill for 16 years, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He said the bill was widely popular across the state and necessary because the federal system is broken.

“If the public policy doesn’t convince him, I would hope that perhaps the politics would: 85 percent of Illinois residents want this bill signed into law. City, suburban, and rural. White, black, Latino, Asian, men, women, gun owners and those who don’t own guns,” Harmon said, according to the paper.