Illinois Concealed Carry Gets The Okay In Another County

Concealed carry in Illinois has received the okay from a second county as a second prosecutor has decided to allow the county’s residents to carry concealed weapons.

The news comes as the state’s governor weighs whether or not to allow it statewide. A federal court tossed out the state’s ban on concealed carry in December.

Randolph County State’s Attorney Jeremy Walker announced on Tuesday that he will no longer prosecute the prohibition on guns in public. His decision comes just days after the state’s Madison County made a similar declaration.

Meanwhile, Clinton County’s sheriff has also said that armed residents from Illinois counties that allow concealed carry will not be arrested for carrying hidden weapons while in his jurisdiction.

Illinois concealed carry laws have been up in the air for months, since the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the state’s ban on hidden weapons. The court also gave lawmakers until June 9 to come up with a measure that allows residents to carry concealed weapons.

But while the Illinois General Assembly has signed off on a bill, it is currently being weighed by Governor Pat Quinn, who hasn’t said whether he will sign it or not. The cutoff has been extended to July 9.

While he waited for Quinn, Walker decided to take matters into his own hands — at least in his county. On Wednesday, he insisted that it was “time to act” in his county, because the original deadline passed with no solution.

He added that he didn’t come to the decision because of Madicon County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons’ announcement, explaining:

“It’s definitely something I’ve been considering quite a while, and I think I’m on strong constitutional ground. I don’t want to do something just to get my name in the paper. But (state lawmakers) could have resolved this issue in January and had something in effect by now.”

The new Illinois concealed carry decision means that residents can carry a weapon is they have a valid firearm owners identification card and they are not otherwise barred from owning a weapon.

Do you think that Illinois should allow concealed carry?

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