Politics

Mayor Johnson Signs Executive Order Designed to Ban Purchases From Gun Dealers That Flout Laws

Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Wednesday designed to ban purchases of guns and ammunition from firms that flout federal law and do not take steps to prevent weapons trafficking.

“This executive order is essentially using the city’s purchasing power to establish a more responsible procurement standard for firearms, ammunition and other related equipment, and to ensure that these vendors that we’re doing business with are complying with federal law on cooperating with law enforcement,” Mayor Brandon Johnson told WTTW News.

Just 5% of gun dealers can be tied to 90% of guns recovered at crime scenes, Johnson said.

The mayor’s office could not immediately tell WTTW News how much it spends on guns and ammunition annually.

Gun policy group the Brady Campaign has urged elected officials to use their procurement power to force gun companies to change how they do business, since cities and states spend millions of dollars to equip police officers.

Brady Campaign President Kris Brown told WTTW News that Chicago and other cities are “paying the price” for the broad immunity the gun industry enjoys under federal law.

“Taxpayer dollars are fueling the gun violence epidemic,” Brown said. “This is the first step of many that needs to happen.”

State lawmakers should impose similar rules on the Illinois State Police and other law enforcement agencies in Illinois, Brown said.

“This is a really easy thing to do,” Brown said.

With most gun control legislation blocked by Republicans at the federal level, and a U.S. Supreme Court that has repeatedly expanded the 2nd Amendment to prevent new restrictions on guns, the city will use the power of its checkbook to make changes, Johnson said.

“The city is taking action to ensure that our taxpayer dollars are not supporting firearm vendors that … fail to meet basic public safety responsibilities,” Johnson said. “It’s one lever that I can use.”

The under-development rules would also reward responsible firms for following the law, Johnson said.

The executive order, the 23rd signed by Johnson, gives the Department of Procurement Services 90 days to develop new standards for gun purchasing, after consulting with the Chicago Police Department, the Office of Public Safety Administration and the Department of Law.

Firms that want to supply Chicago with guns will have to comply with those new rules and “disclose licensing and regulatory compliance information, firearm-related violations, corrective actions and business practices designed to prevent firearm trafficking, straw purchasing, theft, and the unlawful diversion of firearms,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

Colorado, New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego have similar rules on the books, according to the mayor’s office.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]

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