Illinois allows concealed firearms to be carried

William Spain, Special to USA TODAY6:19 p.m. EST January 8, 2014

Illinois joins the rest of the nation in allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.


(Photo: Seth Perlman, AP)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Law was passed in July but goes into effect now
  • Concealed carrying of firearms has been a hotbed of national controversy


CHICAGO — Illinois is now the last state in the U.S. to allow average citizens to carry around concealed firearms.

On Sunday, it joined a two-decade long parade of jurisdictions ranging from Arizona to Vermont that have loosened their gun laws at the same time violent crime rates were dropping across the country.

"For years, we heard from gun control groups that concealed-carry laws would result in an increase in crime," said Larry Keane, general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry group. "But the litany of horrors they predicted never came to pass."

Keane said that there are now more guns in private hands than at any time in American history. He estimates that 100 million people own a total of 300 million firearms.

"More guns are sold every year but crime is declining and accidents are at record lows," he added.

The Illinois law was passed in July and allows anyone with a Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification card — already required to purchase guns or ammunition here — to get a concealed-carry permit for $150, subject to various restrictions.

The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence is not enthusiastic about the new law, with Executive Director Colleen Daley predicting more accidents and more suicides.

"We defeated these bills for many, many years," Daley said. "We are not happy about it."

She did point out that there are some provisions attached, for instance, those that stiffen rules on private firearm sales and require the reporting of a loss or theft of a gun.

But, "something is going to happen that would not have happened otherwise," Daley said.

The Land of Lincoln had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the new era of concealed-carry and only did it due to a federal court order that forced legislators to craft a law allowing the practice.

There have been many many fights across the nation over concealed carry, some pitting state decrees against local ordinances. In North Carolina, the state legislature passed a bill forbidding municipalities from barring concealed firearms in parks and playgrounds. That forced cities like Asheville and Winston-Salem to amend their laws.

In Kansas, Wisconsin, Oregon, Arkansas and Colorado, where concealed carry was already on the books, either legislators or the courts recently have gone so far as to overturn existing bans that applied to college campuses.

Last week, the Illinois State Police — the agency responsible for administering the permits — previewed their system to the media and the public. Starting Sunday, people began applying online and, assuming they pass the background checks, undergo 16 hours of training, provide fingerprints and photos and fork over the required fees, the first ones should be issued by the middle of next month.

Roughly 11,000 applications were in the works in the first few days.

The rules are uniform across the state; residents of Cairo in the far south will have the same rights and restrictions as those who live in Chicago. No one is allowed to pack heat in schools, courts, prisons, casinos, public parks or any restaurant that gets more than half its revenue from the sale of alcohol. Sports stadiums, libraries, amusement parks and zoos are also no-go zones.

Once a complete application is submitted, the Illinois State Police have 90 days to issue, or deny, a permit. They are expecting a flood of them, between 300,000 and 400,000 in the first year alone, according to State Police estimates.

While they have to administer the new rules, it is clear that some members of the Illinois law enforcement community are not entirely happy with the concept.

State Police Colonel Marc Maton came close to admitting as much as he explained the application system.

"There is some apprehension" among rank-and-file officers, he said. "They don't know how this will all roll out."

He said that it could potentially increase the danger when police respond to domestic disturbances or traffic stops but noted that his colleagues are already trained to assume "there is a weapon in every encounter they have."

Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, which fought for the law in the legislature and the courts, is jubilant. He believes that concealed carry laws enhance public safety and points to dropping crime rates in states that already have them.

"We are the last [state] but we finally made it," he said. And with the strict training and licensing requirements Pearson said "there are not going to be any gunfights at the O.K. Corral."

Pearson was among the first in line for the new permits and he plans to carry a gun wherever it is legal for him to do so.

"Anything can happen anywhere, anytime," he said. "You just don't know."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...icago/4379409/