CHICAGO – Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Wednesday morning that tightens how the City of Chicago purchases firearms, gun accessories and ammunition for city departments and sister agencies.
Chicago tightens firearm purchasing standards
The executive order is designed to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent only on firearm vendors that demonstrate strong legal compliance and responsible business practices. Gun violence prevention advocates say the measure uses the city’s purchasing power to hold firearm manufacturers and vendors to higher standards of accountability.
The order directs the Department of Procurement Services, in consultation with the Chicago Police Department, the Office of Public Safety Administration and the Department of Law, to develop new procurement standards within 90 days.
Companies seeking city contracts for firearms, ammunition and related accessories will be required to 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.
The city will also be able to consider vendors’ employee training programs, security measures, cooperation with law enforcement investigations and other public safety practices when awarding or renewing contracts.
Brady United, a national nonprofit focused on preventing gun violence, estimates taxpayers spend more than $5 billion each year on law enforcement firearms and ammunition. The organization said its investigation found law enforcement agencies across the country have spent millions of taxpayer dollars purchasing firearms from dealers and manufacturers with repeated violations of federal firearm regulations.
The executive order takes effect immediately.
What they’re saying:
Mayor Johnson said the executive order is intended to ensure the city’s purchasing decisions promote responsible business practices and public safety.
“Chicago’s commitment to community safety is reflected in the standards we set for how taxpayer dollars are spent,” Johnson said in a statement. “This executive order builds on that commitment by strengthening our procurement standards to ensure the City’s purchasing power advances responsible business practices and community safety.
“Every family deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, and through this commitment to the families who have lost loved ones to gun violence, we are encouraging greater accountability across the firearms industry while supporting vendors that share our commitment to preventing illegal gun trafficking and protecting Chicagoans.”
Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, executive director of Live Free Illinois, said the order is intended to ensure public funds are not used to support firearm vendors with harmful business practices.
“Too many families in Chicago know the cost of an industry that has too often operated without enough accountability,” Bates-Chamberlain said in a statement. “This executive order sends a clear message: public dollars should never reward harmful business practices. Live Free Illinois is proud to stand with Brady United and our partners as Chicago shows what it looks like to lead with courage, use every tool available, and turn procurement into a strategy for public safety.”
The backstory:
The executive order is the latest step in Johnson’s broader public safety agenda.
Earlier this month, the mayor signed an executive order creating Chicago’s Office of Gun Violence Reduction. The office is responsible for developing a five-year citywide strategy, coordinating services for victims of gun violence and laying the foundation for a permanent city department focused on violence reduction.
The office also supports the city’s summer safety strategy and the Chicago Department of Public Health’s incident command initiative, which targets 27 neighborhoods with violence intervention and crisis response efforts.
City officials said the procurement order builds on the administration’s broader violence reduction strategy, which also includes investments in prevention, youth employment, victim services and mental and behavioral health programs.
The Source: The information in this story came from Mayor Brandon Johnson, Live Free Illinois and previous FOX Chicago reporting.
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