Illinois House Reveals Relaxed Concealed Carry Bill

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 23, 2013 4:40PM

The Illinois House unveiled its proposed concealed carry legislation late Wednesday, with fewer restrictions on where concealed carry permits would not be allowed, make it easier to get a permit to carry a gun and override home rule laws in Chicago and other cities in Illinois with similar statutes.

The bill comes after gun right lobbyists objected to legislation proposed by the Illinois Senate that would have required gun owners in Chicago to obtain Police Department approval, pass a background check and undergo firearms training before receiving a permit. The House bill still requires a background check and training, but removes the Chicago Police Department approval. The House bill also would grant potential gun owners who are denied permits the chance to appeal a decision to a special panel. Both bills would ban concealed carry on public transit, public parks, government buildings, stadiums and casinos. The House bill would ban concealed carry in bars where more than half of the revenue comes from liquor sales. (We would hope a bar earns most of its income from liquor sales.)

The Tribune reports Rep. Brandon Phelps, who is leading the charge for gun rights activists in the House, said the National Rifle Association is expected to be neutral on the bill. Todd Vandermyde, the group’s chief lobbyist in Illinois, has worked for months to help draft the bill so that it favors those who want to carry firearms in public.

As with other pending legislation in Springfield, time is of the essence to pass this. The current legislative session ends May 31 and the General Assembly is under pressure to pass a less restrictive concealed carry law after a federal appellate court struck down the current law last December and said it “failed to meet the burden of public safety” that inspired it. The court gave the state Legislature until June 9 to draft a new bill.