Quinn Gets 30-Day Extension To Review Concealed Carry Bill

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 5, 2013 7:40PM

A federal court granted a request Tuesday from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan asking for a 30-day extension of a June 9 deadline to pass a concealed carry law so that Gov. Pat Quinn could have time to thoroughly the bill, which passed both houses in the General Assembly last week.

Madigan filed a motion requesting the extension Monday because the bill passed with little more than a week for Quinn to review it and sign the legislation into law. Madigan, in a statement, said the extension request “would allow the governor a reasonable amount of time to fulfill his state constitutional duties” and “help prevent a situation in which there is no state law in place governing the carrying of handguns in public, which the Court sought to avoid in setting the original stay.”

Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson praised the filing and added that normally Quinn would have 60 days to review a bill upon its arrival. It’s unknown whether Quinn will sign the bill into law by July 9.

The compromise deal worked out by the House and Senate allows for concealed carry but doesn’t trump the home rule laws on the books in Chicago and other cities in Illinois, and does not allow concealed carry on public transit, casinos, stadiums, schools, bars, parks and festivals. Gun owners looking to carry weapons with them would apply for a concealed carry permit for $150 with the Illinois State Police and undergo 16 hours of gun training—the most of any state in the nation.