The Illinois House approved a concealed carry plan today: Governor Pat Quinn calls the measure a "massive overreach."
The bill (SB 2193) passed 85-30, after more than two hours of floor debate.
The proposal will allow qualified citizens to carry their guns in public. It's the plan favored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, but opposed by the governor and a number of Democrats. That's because it wipes out all local gun regulations, including Chicago's ban on assault-style weapons. The bill still contains limits favored by lawmakers who want stricter gun control: that includes prohibiting people from carrying weapons in places like schools, sports arenas, and on public transportation.
State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere) is one of the bill's House sponsors:
“We are finally giving the good guys the ability to defend their families and their property from violent criminals. While today’s vote is a significant step forward, the fight is not over. Until the plan passes the Senate and is signed into law by the Governor, Illinois will remain the only state in the nation without any form of concealed carry for the law-abiding public. It’s about time we resolve this issue and provide full rights to upstanding gun owners.”
State lawmakers have to come up with a concealed carry law by June 9th: that's the deadline imposed by a federal appeals court that ruled that not allowing concealed carry was unconstitutional.
Governor Pat Quinn released the following statement after Friday's House vote:
This legislation is wrong for Illinois. It was wrong yesterday in committee, it’s wrong today, and it’s wrong for the future of public safety in our state. The principle of home rule is an important one. As written, this legislation is a massive overreach that would repeal critical gun safety ordinances in Chicago, Cook County, and across Illinois. We need strong gun safety laws that protect the people of our state. Instead, this measure puts public safety at risk. I will not support this bill and I will work with members of the Illinois Senate to stop it in its tracks.
