Illinois Will Get Concealed Carry, but. . .

John R. Lott Blog - Illinois finally adopts concealed carry law: All states finally have a concealed handgun law on their books.

Illinois has been the only state that grants NO permits for concealed carry, not counting Washington D.C. as a state.   As I posted earlier, The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Illinois could not deny the Right To Bear, and had to come up with a permitting system.  The Illinois House passed a new concealed carry bill with an 89-28 vote.  The Senate passed it 45-12.  These margins are high enough to avoid a veto by governor pat quinn  That's the good news.

Bad news:

• The law will not allow concealed carry on mass transportation or in government buildings, schools, taverns*, stadiums, casinos^, rahm emanuel's house, or in parks.
• $150 fee for the permit.  That's a lot.
• 16 hours of training is required before issuance, the most of any state in the country. (Are shooting ranges still outlawed within chicago city limits?).
• The bill that passed does not include the requirement to abolish local gun ordinances, such as chicago's "assault weapon" ban that was written into earlier bills.
• Law enforcement can object to the issuance of a permit.  The applicant can appeal the objection to a seven-member panel of appropriate personnel (retired judges, FBI agents).

So if you live in chicago, where you are most likely to need a firearm to defend yourself, and take the bus or train to work or to visit friends, you're still prohibited most of the time.  Maybe time to get a bicycle?  If you are one of many on welfare, you probably can't afford the fee and training.  Still, I guess something is better than nothing, and the law will undo some of the ridiculous restrictions on transportation of firearms that currently exist, at least for those who can get their hands on a permit.

* - Businesses that serve alcohol, where less than half of the sales are food.

^ - There's casinos in Illinois?  Legal ones?