Illinois To Lift Concealed-Carry Ban, Appeals Court Decides
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, Illinois handed down their decision today in an appeal to lift Illinois’ concealed-carry ban. The court ruled that State of Illinois lawmakers are to begin drafting legislation to allow residents to carry concealed weapons. The lawmakers will be allowed 180 days to enact the new law. Until this point, Illinois was the last state that maintained a total ban on concealed weapons.
Gun control in Illinois began in the early 1970s when citizens began forming groups promoting gun control. According to The Encyclopedia of Chicago, suburban Morton Grove, Illinois became the first municipality in The United States to pass gun control laws. In 1982, Chicago made history as the first city in the United States to enact a freeze on gun registration. Today’s ruling will lift any and all remaining concealed-carry bans throughout the state.
One of the prominent plaintiffs named in the appeal was The Second Amendment Foundation, a Washington State non-profit organization dedicated to protecting citizens rights under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. The mission of the organization states:
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is dedicated to promoting a better understanding about our Constitutional heritage to privately own and possess firearms. To that end, we carry on many educational and legal action programs designed to better inform the public about the gun control debate.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, in its majority opinion, stated:
“The Supreme Court has decided that the amendment confers a right to bear arms for self-defense, which is as important outside the home as inside. The theoretical and empirical evidence (which overall is inconclusive) is consistent with concluding that a right to carry firearms in public may promote self-defense. Illinois had to provide us with more than merely a rational basis for believing that its uniquely sweeping ban is justified by an increase in public safety. It has failed to meet this burden,”
Until the new law is in effect, these are the current concealed-carry laws in The United States:
