Illinois and the Nation"s Trend Towards Concealed Carry Freedom
Illinois is only the state that exclusively bans private citizens from concealed or open carry of handguns but that restriction is may be coming to an end. A bill is at Illinois's House of Representatives which would allow the sheriffs of the 102 counties in Illinois to issue concealed carry permits. Concealed Carry legislation efforts isn't anything new in Illinois politics but with neighboring Wisconsin passing concealed carry laws last year, the pressure for change is high.
The last major federal gun control legislation was the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 which banned the manufacture of "assault weapons" with the intent of selling these firearms to private citizens for a ten year period. High capacity magazines were also subject to the same laws. Pre-existing assault weapons and high capacity magazines were exempt from the act which created a high priced market for such exempt items. Some argue this price inflation fueled demand for assault rifles and the moment the ban ended sales of assault weapons exploded. A similar buying frenzy occurred when President Obama was elected since many feared he would attempt to reinstall the ban. An ammunition and assault weapon supply shortage actually happened as a result which much like the case with the pre-existing weapons during the ban caused large price increases. But even prior to the Assault Weapons Ban, the gun control movement had started to stall in the mid-1980's as states were reverting or creating laws to allow concealed carry. Prior to this shift, the majority of states had made concealed carry by a private citizen nearly impossible with sixteen states having a "No Issue" policy for permits. Only eight states had a "Shall Issue" policy, which means the state will issue a permit if you meet the minimum requirements, and only one state, Vermont, not requiring any permits for concealed carry. As of the year 2012, there's now thirty-seven states with a "Shall Issue" policy, four states with a Unrestricted Policy and only one state with a "No Issue" policy which is of course, Illinois. Overall, the estimated amount of concealed carry permit holders went from the tens of thousands in the early 1980's to six million and growing as of currently. The shift towards concealed carry freedom for the average citizen is quite clear when you look at the numbers.
As for concealed carry bill in Illinois, the supporters will need to acquire 71 votes which is actually above the usual majority required to pass a bill. To get around pre-empt law in local areas, a three-fourths majority is required for the bill to pass. A similar bill barely failed to get the proper amount of votes last year and the bill's sponsors are confident it will get the much needed extra votes this time.
The last major federal gun control legislation was the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 which banned the manufacture of "assault weapons" with the intent of selling these firearms to private citizens for a ten year period. High capacity magazines were also subject to the same laws. Pre-existing assault weapons and high capacity magazines were exempt from the act which created a high priced market for such exempt items. Some argue this price inflation fueled demand for assault rifles and the moment the ban ended sales of assault weapons exploded. A similar buying frenzy occurred when President Obama was elected since many feared he would attempt to reinstall the ban. An ammunition and assault weapon supply shortage actually happened as a result which much like the case with the pre-existing weapons during the ban caused large price increases. But even prior to the Assault Weapons Ban, the gun control movement had started to stall in the mid-1980's as states were reverting or creating laws to allow concealed carry. Prior to this shift, the majority of states had made concealed carry by a private citizen nearly impossible with sixteen states having a "No Issue" policy for permits. Only eight states had a "Shall Issue" policy, which means the state will issue a permit if you meet the minimum requirements, and only one state, Vermont, not requiring any permits for concealed carry. As of the year 2012, there's now thirty-seven states with a "Shall Issue" policy, four states with a Unrestricted Policy and only one state with a "No Issue" policy which is of course, Illinois. Overall, the estimated amount of concealed carry permit holders went from the tens of thousands in the early 1980's to six million and growing as of currently. The shift towards concealed carry freedom for the average citizen is quite clear when you look at the numbers.
As for concealed carry bill in Illinois, the supporters will need to acquire 71 votes which is actually above the usual majority required to pass a bill. To get around pre-empt law in local areas, a three-fourths majority is required for the bill to pass. A similar bill barely failed to get the proper amount of votes last year and the bill's sponsors are confident it will get the much needed extra votes this time.
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