Thread: Illinois House votes to allow residents to carry concealed guns

Illinois House votes to allow residents to carry concealed guns

By Joanne von Alroth | Reuters – 15 mins ago


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Reuters/Reuters - An Evanston police officer holds a firearm that was turned in as part of an amnesty-based gun buyback program in Evanston, Illinois December 15, 2012. REUTERS/Jim Young

By Joanne von Alroth
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois House of Representatives on Friday voted overwhelmingly to allow residents to carry concealed guns, taking the state one step closer to joining all others in allowing some form of carrying guns in public.
Illinois is the only state in the nation to ban most people from carrying a concealed gun outside the home. Lawmakers acted on Friday after a federal appeals court in January struck down the ban, saying it violated the right to bear arms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The court gave the state six months to pass a new law that would be constitutional.
The National Rifle Association stayed silent on the proposal in order to avoid antagonizing some lawmakers who did not want to be seen voting for a plan backed by the gun lobby.
But if the proposal backed by powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan becomes law, it would achieve the NRA's longtime goal of ending the Illinois ban and making some form of concealed carry legal in all 50 states.
The proposal faces stiff opposition from many lawmakers representing Chicago, where police say gun trafficking has led to a surge of violence and a rise in gang-related shootings and murders. Passage of the proposal in President Barack Obama's home state also would run counter to his administration's efforts to put more controls on guns in the wake of Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre last year.
Democratic Governor Pat Quinn and the leader of the Illinois Senate, John Cullerton, vowed to fight the plan.
"This legislation is wrong for Illinois," Quinn said in a statement after the vote. "We need strong gun safety laws that protect the people of our state. Instead, this measure puts public safety at risk."
Madigan noted that the bill passed 85 to 30, which is enough votes to override a veto by the governor.
Quinn and some state senators object in particular to a provision that would repeal gun control laws in Chicago and more than 200 other communities and replace them with state law.
The bill passed on Friday says the state "shall issue" a permit to carry a weapon if the person passes a background check and has a valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card.
It bans guns in bars where more than 50 percent of sales are from liquor, as well as at festivals.
The measure allows local law enforcement to object to granting permits to people with an arrest record, and those believed to be a danger to themselves or to the public. A new seven-member licensing board would review applications.
Under the measure, concealed carry would be prohibited at all schools, colleges and universities, child-care facilities, parks and playgrounds, Chicago area forest preserves, state and municipal government buildings, libraries, hospitals, mental health facilities, nursing homes, airports, stadiums, arenas, sporting events, amusement parks, zoos, museums, public transportation and government public gatherings.
The bill requires 16 hours of training, including range exercises, making Illinois training the most strenuous in the nation, Madigan said.
Current law bans the carrying of concealed weapons by virtually everyone except police and security guards, hunters and members of target shooting clubs.
All other states allow some concealed carry. Some, such as New York, have strict requirements. Others, such as some western states, do not require permits at all.
　
　
　
http://news.yahoo.com/illinois-house-votes-allow-residents-carry-concealed-guns-211313359.html

Gun bill gets overwhelming support in Illinois House




Concealed Carry

AP

Illinois Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, second from left, reacts with other lawmakers, including Rep. Patrick Vershoore, D-Milan, right, after his concealed carry gun legislation passes while on the House floor Friday.







SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House approved a potentially landmark proposal Friday to allow Illinoisans to carry concealed weapons in public.
But the measure, which was sent to the Senate on an 85-30 vote, appears headed for a major overhaul.
Not only does the Senate Democratic point man on gun control have problems with the plan, but Gov. Pat Quinn panned it.
"This legislation is wrong for Illinois," Quinn said in a statement issued minutes after the House vote. "I will not support this bill, and I will work with members of the Illinois Senate to stop it in its tracks."
The proposal is the latest attempt to bring Illinois in line with 49 other states that allow some form of concealed carry. The General Assembly is operating under a federal court deadline to have a law in place by June 9.
"This is our best chance," said Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, who sponsored the legislation. "We have come up with a bill we can be proud of."
Under the plan, applicants for concealed carry permits would have to be at least 21 years old, pass criminal and mental health background checks, undergo 16 hours of training sanctioned by the Illinois State Police and pay a $150 fee in order to receive a five-year permit.
Guns would be banned from child-care facilities, governmental buildings, public events such as street fairs, sports arenas and stadiums, amusement parks and a host of other public areas.
The main sticking point for opponents is a provision that wipes out all local gun laws, including an assault weapons ban in Chicago. Supporters say the state should have one uniform gun law to ensure firearm owners don't get caught in a web of differing local weapons laws.
Rep. Eddie Acevedo said the law is not compatible with his hometown of Chicago.
"The city of Chicago is the killing fields. You're going to have a lot of blood on your hands," the Democrat told his colleagues. "Having more guns on the streets is not the answer."
Similar concealed carry proposals have fallen short in the past. This time, however, House Speaker Michael Madigan put his weight behind the measure and brought a handful of Cook County lawmakers on board, including Reps. Toni Berrios, Dan Burke, Monique Davis, John D'Amico, Anthony Deluca, Mary Flowers, La Shawn Ford, Frances Ann Hurley, Thaddeus Jones, Robert Martwick, Rita Mayfield, Al Riley, Bob Rita, Silvana Tabares, André Thapedi and Michael Zalewski.
"I think if the bill is called in the Senate it will get a vote in the Senate comparable to the vote that it got today, which was an overwhelming super-majority vote," Madigan told reporters.
Downstate lawmakers from both parties backed the measure en masse, saying if the state misses the court deadline, it could result in having no state law and a confusing patchwork of local gun laws.
"The day is now. The time is now. Concealed carry is coming to Illinois," said Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion.
"This is a true balance that protects both our constitutional Second Amendment rights and our communities," said Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington. "I'm especially pleased to say that this legislation includes the strongest mental health requirements in the nation."
"The bill brings Illinois' gun laws in line with the constitutional right to bear arms and creates a clean, understandable standard for carrying concealed firearms across the state," added Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur.
Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, who has been handling concealed carry negotiations for Senate President John Cullerton, said the House version needs more work.
For example, he said guns should be banned not only from taverns, but from restaurants that serve alcohol, too.
"We really need to send a message that alcohol and guns don't mix," Raoul said.
He held out hope that further talks could bring the House and Senate together.
"I think we can take most of what they put together with some changes and offer an alternative," Raoul said.
The legislation is Senate Bill 2193.
　
　
http://qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/gun-bill-gets-overwhelming-support-in-illinois-house/article_23b4b3d3-e2c3-5b77-830e-129b1a6cb356.html

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