Bless Jessica Trame’s little heart. She takes her job as chief of the Illinois State Police Firearms Services Bureau very seriously. Seriously enough, in fact, to email deceased Illinois gun dealers seeking their compliance with Kathleen Willis’ new Gun Dealer Licensing Act.
The Gun Dealer Licensing mess stands as a giant hot mess for firearms retailerw. The ISP’s bureaucrats don’t really understand the realities of business and, for now at least, don’t seem very inclined to accept advice.
One now-deceased Illinois-based federally licensed gun dealer received this email dated Saturday, June 15th from Trame. At least for this batch of emails, Jessica used blind carbon copy for the recipients, unlike an earlier one…
From: Trame, Jessica
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2019 8:40 PM
Subject: UPDATE – Firearm Dealer License CertificationDear state of Illinois FFL:
If you are having difficulties completing your Firearm Dealer License Certification application on-line, please send a copy of your FFL and your completed FFL Valid affidavit to this email address – isp.illinois.ffl@illinois.gov by COB Monday, June 17 to reserve your date of compliance with section 68/5-10. The ISP will continue to work with you to finalize the remaining steps prior to July 17.ALSO PLEASE NOTE:
If a person engages in strictly gunsmithing services, and only those services (where, for example, they accept a firearm for service, service the firearm, and then return it solely to the same person who gave them the firearm to service), they will not be required to be obtain State certification. If, however, a person who offers gunsmithing services also engages in the business of selling, leasing, or otherwise transferring firearms to third parties, they will be required to obtain State certification.(430 ILCS 68/5-10)
Sec. 5-10. Copy of Federal Firearms License filed with the Department. Each licensee shall file with the Department a copy of its license, together with a sworn affidavit indicating that the license presented is in fact its license and that the license is valid. The Department may by rule create a process for checking the validity of the license, in lieu of requiring an affidavit. Upon receipt and review by the Department, the Department shall issue a certificate of license to the licensee, allowing the licensee to conduct business within this State. The Department shall issue an initial certificate of license within 30 days of receipt of the copy of license and sworn affidavit. If the Department does not issue the certificate within 30 days, the licensee shall operate as if a certificate has been granted unless and until a denial is issued by the Department.
(Source: P.A. 100-1178, eff. 1-18-19.)
Jessica Trame
Chief, Firearms Services Bureau
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE
Even though this particular dealer died in early 2018 and his license expired a few months later the same year, Jessica Trame is still hounding him, lest a dead man get away from the State of Illinois’ regulatory over-reach.