Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Wednesday morning that tightens how the City of Chicago buys firearms, gun accessories and ammunition for city departments and sister agencies. The order took effect immediately and requires all city departments, including the Chicago Police Department, to do business only with gun suppliers that meet stronger business standards.
The move puts new limits on how taxpayer dollars can be spent on firearms-related purchases. The Department of Procurement Services has 90 days to write new procurement standards, working with the Chicago Police Department, the Office of Public Safety Administration and the Department of Law, and those standards will govern both new contracts and renewals.
Under the order, companies seeking city contracts for firearms, ammunition and related accessories will have to disclose licensing and regulatory compliance information, firearm-related violations, corrective actions and business practices meant to prevent firearm trafficking, straw purchasing, theft and the unlawful diversion of firearms. The city may also weigh employee training programs, security measures, cooperation with law enforcement investigations and other public safety practices when deciding whether to award or renew a contract.
Johnson said the order is meant to ensure the city’s purchasing decisions promote responsible business practices and public safety. He framed the change as part of Chicago’s commitment to community safety and said the city should use its purchasing power to support vendors that share that goal.
Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain welcomed the order and said it is intended to keep public funds from supporting firearm vendors with harmful business practices. Her response lands at a moment when Brady United says public money has already gone to dealers and manufacturers with repeated federal firearm violations, a claim that puts pressure on how carefully the city reviews the suppliers it has used in the past.
Brady United estimates taxpayers spend more than $5 billion each year on law enforcement firearms and ammunition, a scale that explains why Wednesday’s order matters beyond Chicago. The city is now trying to draw a sharper line between routine procurement and vendors that can show strong legal compliance, but the real test will come in the next 90 days, when the new standards are written and the first contracts are judged under them.
