IL is one of the last of the old time slave states. It’s America’s North Korea. This is a big deal. No IL pol wants to give their slave a gun. It might lead to other ideas and foreign ways of thinking. Things like liberty may be taken seriously. This is a real threat to the Combine.
The Left is in love with the idea of being able to intimidate people who don't agree, whether with mobs showing up at your home, or some union thug threatening to break your legs.
An unarmed man is easier to intimidate with discreet or indiscreet threats. An armed man can only be pushed so far.