Concealed Carry In Illiniois – David Pierini/Chicago Tribune / November 8, 2012
Concealed Carry in Illinois
If you are at all familiar with state gun laws across the nation, you already know that Illinois is one of the most restrictive states in the USA in regard to guns. As of now, concealed carry in Illinois is entirely illegal, and it is the only state in the nation to uphold such a restrictive stance on the issue.
But, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune published November 8th, citizens in 10 Illinois counties overwhelmingly voted to pass county ordinances that would legalize concealed carry for citizens. Unfortunately, those county ordinances cannot override state law, but this growing support for concealed carry can definitely start putting pressure on lawmakers in the state legislature.
I think the message will be heard, because some counties that voted on the issue were in more Democrat-leaning northwest parts of the state, said Valinda Rowe, spokeswoman for IllinoisCarry, a group that tracks gun-rights advocacy around the state. She lives in rural White County in southeastern Illinois. Hopefully (the Democratic leadership) will see a correlation here that there is widespread support for this issue, Rowe said.
The article continues,
There is a chance, though, that the issue will be decided by the courts. The National Rifle Association is representing a southern Illinois woman who sued in federal court for the right to carry a concealed weapon after being attacked while working at her church. The U.S. District Court in southern Illinois ruled in favor of the state, and the case was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, which heard arguments this summer. A ruling is pending from a three-judge panel.
While this is surely a long way from concealed carry being legalized in Illinois, it is definitely a step in the right direction. Reading stories like this makes me very grateful that I live in a state that doesn’t try to contradict the US constitution.
Have a good one,
Tom
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