Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a multistate coalition of 22 attorneys general in support of commonsense federal laws that regulate the sale of guns to keep communities safe.
Raoul and the coalition filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in support of a federal statute that prevents individuals from transferring or receiving firearms outside the state where they reside, except through a federally-licensed firearms dealer, importer or manufacturer. The brief explains that such regulations help to reduce violent crime and support law enforcement investigations.
“The federal government should be able to protect residents and communities through commonsense laws to prevent the illegal transportation of firearms across state lines,” Raoul said. “I will continue to collaborate with fellow attorneys general who prioritize public safety in order to protect Illinois communities from the scourge of gun violence that has become all too common around our state.”
Raoul and the coalition filed the brief in U.S. v. Steven Perez, a 2020 New York case in which Perez received illegally purchased weapons from an unlicensed firearms dealer in South Carolina that were transported to him in New York City. Perez was later arrested, criminally prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to prison. Perez has appealed his conviction, claiming it violates his Second Amendment right to carry a firearm.
Raoul and the attorneys general argue that federal regulations related to transporting guns across state lines do not infringe on Second Amendment rights, but rather protect public safety and fortify state gun laws. The coalition explains that the challenged federal regulation complements and enhances state regulations of firearms dealers that are also designed to prevent the misuse of guns and help law enforcement effectively investigate gun-related crimes. Indeed, 17 states, including Illinois, require licensed firearms dealers to maintain detailed records of their inventory and sales, which help law enforcement investigate violent crimes and keep communities safer by ensuring that law enforcement has thorough, up-to-date information. And additional state regulations help curb unlawful access to firearms through theft, straw purchases and illegal sales.
The brief is the most recent step in Attorney General Raoul’s work to address gun violence throughout Illinois and across the nation. The Attorney General’s office created a state-of-the-art crime-gun tracing database for Illinois law enforcement called Crime Gun Connect. Raoul’s office also collaborates with local law enforcement to combat gun trafficking and has used the office’s jurisdiction to prosecute multi-county gun trafficking offenses. Additionally, the Attorney General’s office works with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to increase awareness of Illinois’ red flag law and to address gaps in Illinois’ firearms licensing system. The office also prosecutes individuals who lie on FOID card applications.
The Attorney General’s office partners with the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to try to avert violence by hosting trainings for law enforcement officers, educators, religious leaders and other community members that are designed to prevent targeted acts of violence.
Attorney General Raoul has persistently advocated at the federal and state levels to strengthen regulation of 3D-printed guns and ghost guns. Illinois law now prohibits ghost guns, but the office continues to fight in federal court to help defend a recent rule closing the federal loophole. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s office also defends cases pending in courts across the state challenging Illinois’ regulations of firearms. Nationally, Attorney General Raoul successfully filed and resolved a lawsuit to get the federal firearm license of an unscrupulous arms manufacturer revoked.
In addition to supporting law enforcement efforts to keep communities safe from gun violence, the Attorney General’s office supports victims’ service providers around Illinois that offer trauma-informed services for crime victims and their families. Raoul’s Violence Prevention and Crime Victim Services Division administers a host of programs and services to assist survivors of violent crime. More information is available on the Attorney General’s website.
Joining Raoul in filing this amicus brief are the attorneys general California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
