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Illinois governor faces interesting choice
The Seventh Circuit struck the Illinois complete ban on carrying, with a stay on the ruling's effectiveness extended thru July 9. The legislature has passed a bill which provides for carry permits which (while it has exceptions) is an enormous improvement on the status quo.
The Chicago Tribune reluctantly endorses the bill, noting "Quinn doesn't have to seal the bill with a kiss. But he should take note of two realities. One, a veto would place Illinois at risk of having no law regulating the concealed carry of firearms."
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They may be squirming, but not a lot.
We still don't have a law. We aren't going to have permits any time soon, maybe not even this year.
They still have several bullets in their stop-carry gun and we're pretty nearly out.
The 7th's decision was a good tool but it only has so much efficacy.
A veto of the bill would leave IL without a statewide law prohibiting gun carry, but there are something like 220 home rule cities, each of which can adopt its own ordinances on the subject, with whatever provisions they choose. (Other than, presumably, a complete ban on all forms of carry.)
Of course, some might be comfortable with no law against carry, others might just prohibit open carry. But given how hard Chicago makes it to even OWN a handgun, what kind of law do you think they'd pass regarding carry? Smaller towns might not want to face the legal costs of defending restrictions on carry and so might do nothing. But a patchwork of differing rules would be a nightmare for anyone moving around or through the state with a firearm.
BTW, IL law regulates firearms in both its criminal code and the Wildlife Code. Does anyone know if the new law supersedes or repeals the Wildlife Code as it relates to guns in cars? Or was the Wildlife Code involved in the federal litigation so that it too was declared unconstitutional?
This just shows the power the courts can exercise in these matters and warms my heart to see that somebody out there still believes in the constitution. This would have never passed in the corrupt and unfailingly leftist Legislature of Illinois otherwise. Great to see them squirming.