Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker made monumental news recently, naming firearms and ammunition suppliers essential businesses during the coronavirus outbreak. The governor signed an executive order in response to COVID-19. The Illinois order places guns, namely suppliers and stores, among other “Supplies for Essential Businesses and Operations.”
[in_content post=”123127″ alignment=”align-left” /]
Illinois Governor Pritzker Classifies Guns as Essential
Key to the listing, comes an important qualifier. It appears Governor Pritzker chose to write in guns with an eye toward self-defense. The executive order reads: “… and firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers for purposes of safety and security.”
“When an anti-gun Democrat governor declares that essential businesses include firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers for the purposes of safety and security, that is a really big deal,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb in a press release. “Every governor should copy the Illinois example when issuing ‘shelter-in-place’ and business closure orders in the face of the Coronavirus.”
The surprising move also comes after the city of Champaign wrote in the potential to ban gun sales in its emergency order. Historically, Illinois remains unfriendly in terms of gun control.
“Depending upon how long this emergency continues,” Gottlieb observed, “many Americans may find themselves facing situations where they will need to be their own first responders. Gov. Pritzker obviously understands this, and we encourage the governors of all other states to recognize this isn’t an issue of party politics but of personal and community safety.”
Across the country, gun sales continue to spike. Panic buying hits all-new highs at gun stores, and now an unprecedented run on ammo threatens to create an ammunition shortage.
Finally, many non-gun owners are finally learning what the 2A community has long understood. The government, especially in some locales, already makes it tough to buy guns. More cities and states will likely ban the sale of guns and ammunition in the coming days and weeks. So if you don’t have your gear squared away already, the time is now.
