Tagged: concealed carry

Illinois' Senior Senator Reacts in the Wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

Senator Dick Durbin says hunters and sportsmen need to "step up." The Illinois Democrat urged support for what he called "reasonable restrictions" on the types of weapons that can be purchased,  and on large ammunition magazines. He says average citizens don't need access to the kind of military-style equipment used by the gunman in Connecticut.

Governor Pat Quinn has renewed his call for a ban on so-called assault weapons. His remarks came in response to a federal court decision that says Illinois has to legalize carrying concealed weapons. The federal appeals court in Chicago says Illinois has 180 days to pass a law that allows for some form of concealed carry.

A three-judge panel of the 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals today rejected the Illinois ban on carrying concealed weapons.

Combining appeals from federal district courts in central and southern Illinois, the 2-1 decision declares that the state failed to provide "more than merely a rational basis for believing that its uniquely sweeping ban is justified by an increase in public safety."