On Saturday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed a bill into law making it easier for victims of gun violence to sue gun makers.
The law, called the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act, prohibits advertising and marketing that encourages para-military or unlawful private militia activity, according to a press release from the Governor’s office. And, it states that “gun manufacturers that engage in unsafe and unlawful marketing and sale will be held accountable for actions contributing to gun violence in Illinois communities.”
H.B. 281 will allow gun companies to be sued in court if they “knowingly cause harm from unsafe marking practices.” This is Pritzker’s latest step in his gun control agenda.
"Today, I proudly signed the Firearm Industry Responsibility Act into law — finally holding gun manufacturers accountable for endangering the public safety and health of our people," Pritzker said in a statement.
"We hold opioid manufacturers accountable. Vaping companies accountable. Predatory lenders accountable. Gun manufacturers shouldn't get to hide from the law—and now, they won't be able to,” he added.
"It is really a bill to harass gun manufacturers," Richard Pearson, a spokesperson with the Illinois State Rifle Association, told CBS. "No gun manufacturer I know of would do anything like this, but it opens them up to frivolous lawsuits, which is designed to bankrupt them in one way or another."
Scott Pulaski, the owner of Piesa Armory in Alton, Illinois, told KMOV that “it’s obvious that the state does not like the firearms industry, and they would like it to go away.”
According to CBS News, the state Supreme Court recently upheld a law banning the sale of so-called “assault weapons” in the state, which generally refers to AR-15s, AK-47s, M-16s, among others. The law also bans the sale of high-capacity magazines and switches that turn semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons.
In addition, Pritzker signed a bill into law banning privately-made “ghost guns,” stating: “We are seeing these unserialized guns being built in basements by those who should never have had access to such dangerous weapons[.]” Earlier this month, Townhall reported how the United States Supreme Court decided to allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to enforce a rule against ghost guns.
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