SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 31 (Reuters) – Illinois lawmakers on
Friday approved a measure that permits residents to carry
concealed guns, which if signed by the governor would make some
form of carrying a concealed weapon legal in all 50 states.
Illinois is the only state in the nation to ban most people
from carrying a concealed gun outside the home and lawmakers are
up against a deadline to approve a bill after a federal appeals
court struck down that ban as unconstitutional.
The appeals court said the ban violated the right to bear
arms under the U.S. Constitution and gave Illinois until early
June to pass a law that would meet constitutional protections.
Last week, the House approved a bill that included a clause
that would have overturned Chicago’s ban on assault weapons,
raising objections from senators, the city and governor.
A revised bill passed on Friday with a 45-12 Senate vote and
a 89-28 House vote that allows Chicago to keep its ban on
assault weapons, but requires America’s third-largest city to
allow citizens to carry concealed weapons.
The bill now goes to Governor Pat Quinn but passed both the
state House and Senate with enough votes to override a veto.
If he signs it, the National Rifle Association would achieve
a long-time goal of ending the Illinois ban and making some form
of concealed carry legal in all 50 states.
State Senate President John Cullerton said no one would be
fully satisfied, but lawmakers had sought an appropriate
compromise.
“Failure to pass this bill would result in unregulated and
unsafe communities across the state,” he said in a statement.
Concealed carry laws faced opposition from many lawmakers
who represent Chicago, where police say gun trafficking has led
to a surge of violence and a rise in gang-related shootings.
The expansion of gun rights in President Barack Obama’s home
state stands in contrast to efforts to put more controls on guns
following the Newtown, Connecticut, school massacre last year.
Current Illinois law bans the carrying of concealed weapons
by virtually everyone except police and security guards, hunters
and members of target shooting clubs.
The measure bans guns in bars where more than 50 percent of
sales are from liquor, as well as at festivals and in many other
places including schools, child-care facilities, parks and
government buildings.
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.
(Reporting by Joanne von Alroth in Springfield, Karen Pierog in
Chicago and David Bailey in Minneapolis; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)
