Bill To Allow Concealed Weapons Rejected By Illinois Senate

A committee of the Illinois Senate has rejected a proposal to give Illinoisans the right to carry concealed weapons.

Senate Bill 1976 would allow county sheriff's to issue concealed carry permits to qualified gun owners. The idea was voted down by members of the Senate Public Health Committee, which is dominated by Chicago-area lawmakers.

State Sen. John Jones, a Mount Vernon Republican who sponsored the proposal, said he wasn't surprised by the rejection, given the makeup of the panel. Concealed carry efforts have long been supported by downstate lawmakers, but opposed by Chicago-area lawmakers.

The Senate's action makes passage of three similar bills making their way through the Illinois House doubtful. Jones said even if those proposals win House approval, they'd likely go nowhere in the Senate.

Comments

[Tony Turrise]

06:49 AM on 04/03/2009

I'd rather be tried by 12 than be carried by six

[STG 44]

09:14 PM on 03/17/2009

Keep in mind that if you've visited Florida, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire and dozens of other states you have been where "Shall Issue" concealed carry is the law of the land. If you went skiing or sight-seeing in Vermont or traveled to Alaska then you where in states that require no permit of any kind to carry a firearm openly or concealed. I doubt that you even gave it a second thought or knew that those around you could well be carrying concealed weapons, so it's really a non-issue with almost everyone. I never heard anyone in Florida, where I live, say, "I hate going to the mall because, you know, almost anyone could be carrying a gun there and I'd never even know." Concealed means concealed. You'll never know and certainly never care.

[HisXLNC]

07:48 AM on 03/17/2009

I just learned that in my state where 89,642 concealed carry permits have been issued, only 52 have been revoked due to misconduct. That's less than 0.5%.

So what's really behind Illinois' fear of concealed carry?

[jsgaetano]

05:00 PM on 03/13/2009

Good.

We have enough problems with corruption without returning to the days of politicians giving their friends concealed-carry permits in exchange for campaign contributions.

[Ohio9]

09:01 PM on 03/13/2009

I agree. CCW should be "Shall Issue" for anyone who meets the requirements, as it is in 40 states.

[jrcundiff]

04:33 PM on 03/16/2009

I think if Illinois wants ccw we should get it and leave Chicgo out of it if they dont want to be able to save their lives then dont give it to them. We all that suppert ccw should have it i have been throw the hand gun training and i think if Ill passes the ccw everyone should have to do it or some kind on training i dont think that they should just hand them out to just anyone. Back to Chicgo everything dont circle around that city so there for i think are state should just leave them out of it and give it to the rest of the state. If we get the ccw you will see the drop in crime would you walk up to someone that you dont know if the have a weapon or not i know i wouldnt i worked with police officers that wishs we would get it they say it would help them out in the long run. But are state Reps. dont care because they have body gaurds and they carrier their selfs so in closing why should we get punished over Chicgo give to us and let them worry everytime they leave their homes if they are going to be the next one one the crimal hit list and let Chicgo pd deal with it but i dont wont to be the one to have to worry i want to be able to defend my self and

[clsmithj]

01:30 PM on 03/13/2009

It would be much cooler if people started walking around carrying swords and shields.

[jsgaetano]

05:01 PM on 03/13/2009

I agree. If someone wants a concealed weapon, let them carry around a 50 pound battleaxe.

[lvogt]

02:55 PM on 03/12/2009

To those not part of "A well regulated militia..." (regulated by the government by the way), if you think carrying a concealed handgun is going to protect you from a take over by a dictatorship with a standing army you must be drunk or stupid (possibly both). It's all about frightened little people with inferiority complexes who think of themselves as victims that need this kind of macho posturing. I don't want to take away anyone's toys but leave it at home, please. Keep it away from me.

[Ohio9]

05:39 PM on 03/12/2009

Nice try, but the fact remains that 48 other states allow CCW without any problems. Lawful citizens carrying a concealed weapon for self defense are not a threat to you.

Even the Illinois Sheriffs Association supported this bill. What happened that a handful of anti-gun fanatics in Chicago decided to deny right of crime victims to defend themselves to the entire state.

Eventually, Illinois and Wisconson will join the rest of the country in allowing CCW. Until then, don't mess with my right to bear arms, and I won't try to make you get a gun. Sound fair?

[anothermba]

03:44 AM on 03/13/2009

I think you have not read the text of the Second Amendment. Here it is for your quick review: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

People like you, and they exist within government branches as well, tend to focus heavily on the second part of the amendment sentence starting with the fourteenth word. You conveniently ignore the first thirteen words. Well sir, the second amendment has twenty seven words, and the first half is just as important as the second. In fact, the first half DEFINES the purpose of the amendment and hence the right.

Despite the Heller decision, which I hope to see overturned, the right to keep and bear arms is NOT for self defense, it is for the security of a free state and in the face of a standing army with WMDs, your puny little gun will wither away. The (il)logical extension of your self-defense argument leads to a situation where every citizen carries a gun and defends himself/herself and there is no necessity for a police force. May be you should read "The Social Contract" as well.

[redraspberry]

07:26 PM on 03/11/2009

I live in very rural Illinois. Most people I know do carry weapons. They just don't talk about it.

[GibsonSG]

04:47 PM on 03/11/2009

Since we can't carry concealed weapons, is there a law against carrying non-concealed weapons? Would the guy in the picture be completely legal to stroll the streets with a .357 on his hip?

[AmbivalentGuy]

11:52 PM on 03/11/2009

I think it depends on where you are, county, etc.
Most towns have laws against "brandishing arms".

Is it still legal to carry a shotgun in your truck in a gun rack?

BTW - Although I take stances against handguns and assault weapons,
I have no problem with hunting/sporting guns. I have no problem with
responsible owners. However, I used to teach hunting safety and have seen
so many dumb things that I would NOT feel safer with your average gun owner
carrying a concealed handgun. Especially not in a bar.

[Ohio9]

09:54 PM on 03/12/2009

Most states don't allow guns in bars anyway. And even if they do, the individual bar owners are still allowed to ban them. Still makes a nice strawman I suppose.

Hunting/sporting guns are not the issue here since the second amendment establishes the right to bear arms for self defense. Or did you miss the Heller case back in June of 2008?

[HisXLNC]

08:39 AM on 03/13/2009

What is the difference between a hunting/sporting gun and an "assault weapon"?

And how do you reconcile those differences with the fact that the most popular sporting gun in the US is considered an "assault weapon"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsZq8laE390

[ShawnFynn]

01:47 PM on 03/11/2009

Just remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

If you're in living or doing business in Chicago, you have a mayor quoted as saying, 'Look, I like these crime cameras you guys are doing in New Orleans. They're cheaper than hiring more police officers and we're going to do them in a big way in Chicago.'

The criminals don't care about laws, in a FBI study "Violent Encounters: A Study of Felonious Assaults on Our Nation's Law Enforcement Officers." interviewed how offenders train with, carry and deploy the weapons they use to attack police officers.

Among other things, the data reveal that most would-be cop killers:

--show signs of being armed that officers miss;

--have more experience using deadly force in "street combat" than their intended victims;

--practice with firearms more often and shoot more accurately;

--have no hesitation whatsoever about pulling the trigger. "If you hesitate," one told the study's researchers, "you're dead. You have the instinct or you don't. If you don't, you're in trouble on the street...."

...and one of the attackers interviewed was "hindered by any law--federal, state or local--that has ever been established to prevent gun ownership. They just laughed at gun laws."

So Huff Post readers in Illinois, Do you feel safer now that you can't have the same right 48 other states have?

[conservativesoncrack]

04:55 PM on 03/11/2009

Let me see, knock on wood; but I have had exactly ZERO encounters in my life (living in a big city environment) where having a gun concealed on my body would have been in my own best interest. These arguments are specious at best.

[ShawnFynn]

06:13 PM on 03/11/2009

The sad fact is Illinois criminals know their law-abiding victims are unarmed, and don't have to fear getting shot in the commission of a crime.

Conservativesoncrack, you live in a state that allows concealed carry, while you personally haven't had any criminal encounters, there is a distinct possibility that because a California CCW holder might have presented a firearm to a criminal without firing a shot, that this criminal might be having second thoughts about doing it again. That is one of many reasons why law-abiding Illinois citizens should be able to carry a concealed weapon.

[Soundofthunder]

03:59 PM on 03/13/2009

Yep. Guns are nice for show, but you never have one in hand when you need it. Why? Because that would require having one in hand ALL THE FRIGGIN' TIME.

SOT

[Ohio9]

01:20 PM on 03/14/2009

That's why CCW should be legal. So can have one all the time.

[ChiGuy]

12:32 PM on 03/11/2009

Dear pro-gun citizens,

In your face.....again.

[AmbivalentGuy]

08:41 PM on 03/11/2009

Hi CHiG
This people can defend themselves argument just doesn't fly.

From the Boondocks - Ed Wuncler points
a gun at Uncle Ruckus and says something
Ruckus answers - "Excuse me, I couldn't hear you
over the sound of me sh*ttin' myself."

Everybody thinks they'll be Die Hard when they
get a gun pointed at them, right up to when it happens -
then it's a crap shoot.

[gonbald]

01:47 PM on 03/12/2009

it's a crap shoot, so they'll have somethong to shoot at.

[Ohio9]

05:45 PM on 03/12/2009

You don't have to be "Die Hard" to defend yourself with a gun. Regular citizens do it on a regular basis.

[Ohio9]

05:45 PM on 03/12/2009

Dear ChiGuy. 48 states already allow CCW. Face it, we are winning and the two states that don't will come around eventually.

[ChiGuy]

10:47 PM on 03/12/2009

Clearly, you nothing about we Illinoisans.

Face it, EVERY time you c'lowns try, you're s_hot down. (Pun intended)
As long as I and others can get on the phones and e-mail and pressure state legislators, there won't be a CCW law in IL or WI.

[realitycheck59]

11:55 AM on 03/11/2009

Here we go again. It so much easier to disarm the reasonable law abiding than the unreasonable lawbreaking. The unarmed reasonable people are at the absolute mercy of the armed fanatic, those with a death wish, those who just want for whatever unfathomable evil/disturbed reason to engage in slaughter. If those who oppose concealed carry would honestly answer the following question please..... if some idiot, looking to slaughter, come upon your wife/husband/son/daughter in a grocery store/classroom/street, and your loved one is unarmed, would you hope that some other citizen is willing to break the law and carry a gun and intervene? Good people can reasonably disagree on almost anything. Guns are here and there and everywhere, and reasonable people have to be able to defend themselves. The police are not everywhere, cannot be there when the the aforementioned idiot begins to rampage. Thjanks for listening.

[John05]

12:46 PM on 03/11/2009

The true problem is the mindframe of people who feel the need to carry a gun to protect themselves.
unless you've been proven victim of continued violent crime or are law enforcement feeling the need to pack a gun to protect yourself in case of a freak random shooting means you have a screw loose.
IF you want to pack heat, join the police force.

[brookmo]

01:52 PM on 03/11/2009

Excuse me? These random shootings are becoming quite frequent. Additionally, a little research on crime statistics will show that in areas where concealed carry has been responsibly enacted crime rates have DECREASED.

I am not a gun nut but have a healthy respect for the second amendment. Criminals don't follow the law. I would rather be able to protect myself and shoot if necessary.

[gonbald]

01:51 PM on 03/12/2009

IF you want to pack heat, keep your pants zipped up.

[howcome]

11:40 AM on 03/11/2009

now if they can only prevent the Chicago Alderman and pro athletes from carrying heat

[gomonkeygo]

11:19 AM on 03/11/2009

As a downstate Illinoisian - THANK YOU!

I'm usually pretty pissed at the dominance of Chicago in Illinois politics and especially about the way it screws the school funding for rural schools (eg. a rural school in Illinois may have the same enrollment as a Chicago-area school but get less funding because it is designated "rural" rather than "urban" - exactly the problem the school I teach in has), but this time I gotta be thankful for it.

Again - THANK YOU!

[GibsonSG]

02:48 PM on 03/11/2009

Gee whiz, imagine the area in a state with the most population having more influence over politics than the rural burgs. That's just crazy talk.

[Ohio9]

05:48 PM on 03/12/2009

Yeah you should be so great that a handful of anti-gun fanatics in one of the most crime ridden cities in America just denied everyone in the state the right to defend themselves. Makes perfect sense.