Guns Save Life is neutral on the latest incarnation of the Illinois Concealed Carry bill which can be found here.
We cannot, and will not endorse a bill which
- leaves local ordinances regarding magazine bans intact, leaving those who carry the most common personal defense handguns in America today subject to arrest in Chicago.
- requires sixteen hours of training – more than any other state we are aware of – AND which does not recognize more than eight hours of previous training.
- does not offer any form of reciprocity for out-of-state licenses.
- requires $150 for a license fee to exercise a right that has been held to be a fundamental, individual Constitutional right. This is nothing more than a poll tax to exercise one’s right to carry a firearm outside the home.
- has nearly two dozen classifications of prohibited locations, many of these areas suffer from high rates of violent crime already.
- cumulatively will require an applicant to spend upwards of $1000 to acquire a permit to carry in Illinois on top of the purchase prices of a handgun, holster, belt, personal defense ammunition and other accessories. ($150 license fee, $250-300 for class tuition, $100-150 training class ammunition, $100-200 hotel accommodations, $50-75 in fuel, $50-75 in food and beverages)
We will not actively oppose this bill only because
- It is a shall issue bill that brings Illinois out of the dark ages of civilian self-defense, joining the other 49 other states in recognizing their law-abiding residents’ right to possess a firearm for self-defense.
- It does not offer a carve out for Cook County, which frankly needs carry more than any other county in the state given the rampant violence present in that liberal stronghold county and their strict local gun control laws.
- It eliminates Chicago’s gun registration scheme, which is a huge win for Chicago residents.
Overall, here are our thoughts on this bill:
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