Illinois Governor JP Pritzker just signed new legislation that would soon criminalize the private selling of firearms if the buyer does not go through a background check using the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

The Democratic governor said after signing the new legislation that the new measure was necessary to prevent those with criminal histories from circumventing background checks through private gun sales. He said the legislation aims to close down that loophole once and for all.

The new legislation is set to take effect in 2024. Conservative lawmakers and critics of the legislation said the measure is unlikely to reduce gun-related crimes in the state, which have surged in recent years.

When the law takes effect, Illinois will have similar rules to other states such as California. Despite California’s currently universal background check mandate, the state still suffers from a continually growing number of gun-related violence.

Illinois has been experiencing elevated violence, partly fueled by anti-police sentiments following the death of George Floyd. Chicago currently employs stricter gun laws compared to other cities in the state. The city currently bans the possession of certain semi-automatic rifles, which the local government defines as assault weapons.

Gun sales across the nation have surged in recent months. March saw the most sales based on the number of background checks run on the FBI’s NIC System. During that month, the system ran 4.7 million gun background checks – the highest of any month since the system was set up. It also represented a 77% increase when compared to the same month last year.