Governor Pat Quinn has signed State Senator Ed Maloney’s (D-Chicago) Senate Bill 2064, an initiative of the Chicago Police Department to penalize the registered owner of a vehicle if it is used in a felony firearms transfer violation.

“Those who commit a felony by transferring firearms or ‘gunrunning’ as defined by the Criminal Code may now have their vehicle registration suspended for 90 days,” Maloney said. “If a court determines the vehicle was used in a gunrunning offense, the Secretary of State can suspend or revoke the vehicle’s registration. We believe this can restrict offenders’ resources to transfer more illegal firearms and protect our streets and neighborhoods from the use of those firearms in other crimes.”

Gunrunning is defined in the Criminal Code as transferring three or more firearms and is a felony. The Code sets a range of imprisonment terms depending on the number of guns transferred and the age of the person who receives the guns. This new law adds another layer of punishment to restrict the capacity of a gunrunner to transport the weapons to those who would buy them.

The Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 has been the subject of ongoing review and legislative steps to make the law more readable, understandable, consistent and just, by the Criminal Law Edit, Alignment and Reform Commission since 2005. Senate Bill 2064 takes effect January 1, 2012.