EDITORIAL: It’s common sense, governor. Sign the gun bill

Sign it, governor.

Back in 2014, the year Bruce Rauner was elected governor, his spokesperson told us Rauner “looks forward to working” with the Legislature on “common-sense proposals” to reduce gun violence.

One of those common-sense proposals now is on his desk. It’s the very kind of bill Rauner was looking forward to.

Sign it, governor.

The bill would allow the state of Illinois to license gun dealers. Gun shops already are licensed federally, but the federal government doesn’t provide much oversight. Some gun shops repeatedly sell firearms that criminals later use at crime scenes. The cycle of violence continues.

Forty percent of the firearms that are found at Chicago crime scenes come from gun dealers in Illinois, and most of those come from just a couple of dealers. If we can slow down that flow of guns with the common-sense requirements in this bill, such as video surveillance, better protection against gun thefts and teaching employees to spot straw purchasers who resell guns to criminals, we will save lives.

Most gun shops are doing these things already. To plug the loopholes, we need all of them to do it. This law would empower the state to make sure they do.

Sign it, governor.

Last week, Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent a letter signed by Chicago’s 50 aldermen urging the governor to sign the bill immediately. Emanuel said Rauner’s silence on the bill has been “deafening.” The governor’s spokesperson said the bill had just reached the governor’s desk and he needs time to look it over.

But he doesn’t need time to look it over, not really. This is not a new idea. The Legislature has been working on it for years. Hearings have been held. Opinions from various stakeholders have been solicited. Provisions have been amended.

We’ve heard speculation the governor would prefer to wait until after the March 20 primary election before acting. The governor has 60 days to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it or let it take effect without his signature. But by then, he may have more gun-related bills sitting on his desk. Both the Illinois House and Senate continue to discuss ways to reduce gun violence. The Senate is holding hearings on additional bills passed by the House. The Senate also passed its own legislation and sent it to the House for consideration. If both chambers agree, those bills could be sent to the governor, too.

We need a signal — now — that the governor is ready to join the effort to reduce gun violence. Others have recognized that things have changed. Enough Republicans and Downstate Democrats came off the sidelines to send the gun dealer licensing bill to the governor. They know Illinois can’t wait another day to start doing more to protect its citizens.

It’s time for action, not delay.

Governor, sign the bill. Please.