Illinois Towns Eye Local Licenses For Gun Dealers

Village officials in Palatine, IL, are drafting an ordinance to regulate home-based gun dealers by requiring them to have a local business license, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Police, Policy and Code Service Committee on Feb. 4 recommended that the Village Council ask Village Manager Michael J. Cassady to draft an ordinance. The council was expected to vote on the proposal by mid-February.

“It would be a benefit so police and firefighters and people know if their next-door neighbor is selling guns out of their garage,” Mayor Rita L. Mullins said.

“If there’s an explosion (or other problem), the Police and Fire Departments could be on alert.”

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley unveiled an ordinance in January that would require gun dealers to have municipal licenses. Mayors of 12 area communities announced their support of his proposal.

The only way officials can find out who is selling guns is through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Cassady said.

Based on information from the ATF, a Kmart store and 11 home businesses sell guns in the village. If that is already known, there seems little purpose to the proposed Chicago and Palatine ordinances.