 The proposal to allow Illinois residents to carry concealed firearms
in public passed a House committee on Tuesday. But there are
numerous hurdles to jump before people can start applying for
permits, which would take six months to a year at the earliest,
according to Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois
State Rifle Association."The (Illinois) State Police have to keep
a file of everybody who has a concealed-carry permit, and so does
the sheriff by his county," Pearson said. "And so all those
mechanisms have to be set up. The instructors have to be qualified.
The videotapes have to be made. There is a lot of work that goes
into setting this up, so it is going to take a while to do this."
House Bill 148, sponsored by state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Norris
City, would authorize Illinois residents 21 and older to apply for
permits to carry concealed firearms in public. Similar proposals
were introduced in the Senate. The proposal will need approval from
lawmakers in both chambers.
"Hopefully it would be effective immediately if the governor
signed it," Phelps said. "Which would be maybe May or June,
whenever, maybe July -- who knows when we get out of (session)."
Under the Family and Personal Protection Act, applicants will
need to meet certain requirements, including possessing a valid
Firearm Owner's Identification Card, providing a full set of
fingerprints and a head-to-shoulder color photograph.
Both the Illinois State Police and county sheriffs would need to
conduct background checks on applicants. The ISP would issue FOIDs,
while the county sheriffs would issue new permits within 30 days of
the application.
County sheriffs can reject or deny applicants even on the basis
of calls made to the police, said Greg Sullivan, executive director
of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association.
"Even if the applicant doesn't have a criminal history record,
but they have numerous calls to their house for a domestic violence,
for example," Sullivan said. "(County sheriffs) can object to the
application and articulate their reasons. And for (those) reasons,
the application could be denied."
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Under the proposal, applicants would need to waive their privacy
and confidentiality rights and take an oath that they will not join
a "criminal street gang." Applicants would also need to pay $100 to
complete eight hours of classroom instruction on handgun safety.
They would also need to pass a written exam and live-fire training
exercises.
"You have to go through the background check," Pearson said. "You
have to pass the exam; it is a written exam -- a 100-question exam
-- as it stands now. And you have to demonstrate marksmanship
proficiency. And you have to have the right attitude. Any one of
those things can prevent you from getting a permit."
A new permit will cost $100 and will be good for three years from
issued date. Concealed-carry holders would need to carry their
permits at all times. People would not be allowed to carry concealed
weapons in stadiums, schools, bars, airports, churches and state
government buildings.
Illinois State Police is not taking a stand on the proposal, even
though officers will have to oversee training and conduct background
checks. Spokesman Scott Compton said ISP's position may change once
the proposal reaches the final stage.
Possible tweaks may be made to the proposal in the coming weeks.
"We just got to concentrate on the House, and look, we've got two
Supreme Court decisions in our favor," Phelps said. "I think the
time is now. I've never had the groundswell like it is right now.
We've run this bill before, but never had the grass-roots effort
that everybody wants to pass it now."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By DIANE S.W. LEE]
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