The state of Illinois has just lost the distinction of being the only state in the country without a concealed carry law. A bill

[99explorer]

The state of Illinois has just lost the distinction of being the only state in the country without a concealed carry law. A bill to allow concealed carry was just passed by the state legislature with a three-fifths vote, over-riding a veto last week by Democratic Governor Pat Quinn. Furthermore, it is a "shall issue" law, requiring authorities to issue a concealed carry permit to anyone who passes a background check and completes 16 hours of firearms training. Is this a great country or what?

[99explorer]

This new law brings Illinois in line with the majority of states that issue permits to anyone who satisfies a few basic requirements, just like driver's licenses.
Several states, such as California and New York, have more restrictive "may issue" permitting systems, in which authorities have discretion in determining the chosen few who will be granted permits.

[Sourdough Dave]

The will of the people will prevail. An armed society is a polite society. Up until now that state's urban center has been anything but. Guns had been outlawed, so only outlaws had guns. The learning curve for the scumbags may be steep, but once they learn that their intended victims will shoot back it will become a peaceful place. Congrats to the IL folks. Welcome to the Land of the Free.

[wallofsam]

Well spoken Dave!

[Treestand]

Congrats to the People of of Illinois Welcome to the World of CCW holder!

[jhjimbo]

Congratulations to the people in the land of Lincoln. Carry concealed responsibly.

[Greenhead]

I used to live in Illinois, and this is a complete shock to me. After the recent court decision, I was sure they would go to "may issue" and then just never give permits to anyone. I wonder if they will do away with their Firearm Owner's ID card. Last I checked they required a special state-issued ID just to OWN a gun, much less carry one.

[Dcast]

I only have one comment, Since when will they follow law?

[Gary Devine]

I bet you the majority of the Illinois state legislators own a gun or carries one for their owned protection.
Politicians across this country are the biggest hypocrites.

[jay]

The FOID card isn't going away, it will still be needed to buy guns and ammo in the state. A person will need a FOID card in order to get a concealed carry license. The cost for an IL resident is $150 for a 5 year permit; $300 for a non-resident. There is no recipatory between states, so guys like me who live and cross the border all the time will have to get licenses from other states too. It is estimated that 300,000 applicants will apply when the system has been created. Looks like the IL state police are tasked with creating the training and systems to support carry but that could take 6 to 8 months. IL state police manage the FOID system as well; but they are months behind schedule. State law says they must process FOID applications within 30 days but the average turn around time is 3 to 4 months.

[Gary Devine]

Unbelievable!
The taxpayers are paying state police for six to eight months to make a system to watch over all the good guys instead of fighting crime against the all bad guys.
THAT’S JUST BRILLIANT!

[bscrandall]

Crime would be a lot lower if every household had s gun. For example, almost 30 years ago, Kennesaw, GA made a law where every citizen had to own a gun. The crime rate dropped a massive 89%.