| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Illinois Could Become ‘Constitutional Carry’ State On June 10
There’s a chance Illinois may become the newest “Constitutional carry” state on June 10.
Yep. You read that right.
Lauren Leone-Cross reported on the The State Journal-Register (Springfield, Illinois) website last night:
Another attempt to pass a concealed-carry bill fell seven votes short in the Illinois House Thursday night, raising questions about whether legislators can meet a court-ordered June 9 deadline to enact a law.
The vote was 64-45 in favor of House Bill 997, which is supported by gun-rights advocates.
However, the bill needed a supermajority of 71 votes to pass because it would pre-empt the home-rule authority of municipalities to establish their own concealed-carry rules and set a single, statewide standard.
Sponsoring Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, used a parliamentary maneuver to keep the bill alive for a possible second vote in the future.
Afterward, Phelps stressed the federal appellate court decision in December that struck down Illinois’ last-state-in-the-nation ban on concealed-carry. If lawmakers do not act by the deadline, the ban goes away and there will be no restrictions as to where a person can carry a loaded weapon in public.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Enter Constitutional carry, also known as “permitless carry” and “Vermont carry.” By definition, it means carrying a concealed handgun without a concealed-carry permit.
And it’s something that could happen by default in the “Land of Lincoln” on June 10 if state legislators don’t enact a concealed-carry law after a federal appeals court required Illinois to put one in place by June 9.
Dave McKinney (with reporting by Zach Buchheit) published on the Sun-Times Politics blog last night what National Rifle Association lobbyist Todd Vandermyde said in a Q&A session late Thursday with the Illinois Statehouse press corps after the NRA-backed concealed-carry legislation suffered that setback. From a transcript:
Q: What happens on June 9?
A: “If nothing happens, the likelihood is that we’re going to have a court injunction. And if you’ve got a valid FOID card, you’re going to be able to carry a firearm in this state. The court won’t write a carry law. They have a very specific purpose, and that is to find the UUW statute in the state of Illinois unconstitutional and issue an injunction against the state’s enforcement of that law. That’s the court’s role in this. Then you might see some municipalities try to do their own thing but they are likely to face the same hurdles that the state has.”
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
For once, Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card holders in Illinois might be able to crack a smile.
However, I predict there’s a good chance concealed-carry legislation will be enacted in the state by that June deadline.
If not, something will be patched together quick… after perceived political opportunities are exploited and exhausted, of course.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
Leone-Cross, Lauren. “Concealed-carry bill fails in Illinois House.” The State Journal-Register. 18 Apr. 2013. (http://www.sj-r.com/carousel/x1545202888/Concealed-carry-fails-in-Illinois-House?zc_p=0). 19 Apr. 2013.
McKinney, Dave. “NRA lobbyist after concealed-carry bill’s failure: ‘I don’t know what else to say.’” Sun-Times Politics. 18 Apr 2013. (http://blogs.suntimes.com/politics/2013/04/nra_lobbyist_after_concealed-carry_votes_failure_i_dont_know_what_else_to_say.html). 19 Apr. 2013.
Survival And Prosperity
\”Protecting and Growing Self and Wealth in These Uncertain Times\”
2013-04-19 13:47:49
Source:
