gun retailer

New Security, Video Surveillance Requirements For Illinois Gun Dealers Go Into Effect

The regulations originally required gun retailers to have a backup of all video surveillance feeds, but has since been changed.

Nearly one year after Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Firearm Dealer License Certification Act into law, new regulations dictating security requirements for retail gun dealers went into effect in Illinois.

The law requires dealers with a federal firearm license to obtain a state certificate by meeting a set of standards for video surveillance systems and gun storage. The measure aims to prevent theft or other diversion of guns from dealers and put an end to “straw purchases,” according to Capital News Illinois. Straw purchases involve a person who buys a gun on behalf of someone who is legally prohibited from owning a firearm.

“These laws were a long-overdue step to do more to prevent gun violence, to make sure guns don’t fall into the wrong hands, to make sure that we license gun shops just like restaurants and other businesses, and deter straw purchases, so that we can prevent someone from buying a gun for someone who is not legally allowed to own a gun,” Pritzker said in a statement about the regulations last year.

Gun dealers have opposed some of the regulations, particularly those around video surveillance requirements. A proposed rule, later eliminated by the Illinois State Police, would have required dealers to maintain video surveillance at several areas in their stores and store those recordings for 90 days. In addition, the dealers would have been required to back up those files on an offsite cloud system or server.

This rule would have been particularly expensive for stores required to have over 100 cameras on premises, according to dealer advocates who had the chance to provide feedback to agency officials at an October hearing.

“I know stores that have over 125 cameras in there,” Todd Vandermyde, executive director of the Federal Firearm Licensees of Illinois, told Capital News Illinois. “You’re not requiring a backup system, you’re requiring a backup generator.”

Since then, the state police have revised many of the proposed rules introduced last fall, and the backup storage requirement has been removed. But since the ISP has passed the Jan. 2 deadline for the rule-making process, the agency plans to use its emergency rule-making powers that put rules into effect immediately for a maximum of 150 days while final rules are drafted.

Many dealers say compliance will still be difficult if other proposed regulations become law, including requirements to have written plans for storing all inventory and keeping ammunition in a restricted area of the store that customers cannot access.

There could be another hearing on the final rules this year, allowing the state police to incorporate final feedback from gun dealers and other stakeholders before releasing the final regulations.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

  • Unlocking Trustworthy AI: Building Transparency in Security Governance

    In situations where AI supports important security tasks like leading investigations and detecting threats and anomalies, transparency is essential. When an incident occurs, investigators must trace the logic behind each automated response to confirm its validity or spot errors. Demanding interpretable AI turns opaque “black boxes” into accountable partners that enhance, rather than compromise, organizational defense. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities