Both chambers of the General Assembly (GA) successfully overrode Governor Quinn’s amendatory veto to the Concealed Carry Bill on Tuesday (collectively over 70% of the GA voted in favor of the override), which means the bill as was originally passed by the GA is now the law in Illinois. Please refer to our earlier article on this topic for fuller implications for municipalities, including the time-frame in which an Assault Weapons Ordinance may be enacted.
Also, the as of yet undetermined aspects of the new law include:
- Local Police Objections to License Applications: What is known is that local police commissioners can object to concealed carry applications for those that the police reasonably suspect to be a danger to themselves, others, or the public. The Illinois State Police will have 180 days to have a database that is accessible by local police departments, but no specific details of the database, including how it may be searchable, are known at this time. Similarly, it is currently unknown when the applications can first be submitted to the ISP or, subsequently, when the 90-day period in which the first licenses would be issued will begin after that.
- Restricted Signage: At the present time, it is also unknown what signage will be required to restrict concealed carry licensees from carrying firearms onto certain property. The Illinois State Police is to provide signage standards. All that is known at this point is that restriction signage must be 4” x 6” in size. The verbiage, font, color, etc. are unknown at this time.
- Posting Signage: As ZRFM previously reported, the law is not clear whether public property that is restricted as part of the law, such as municipal buildings and parks, must post the restricted signs to make the restriction enforceable, or whether the licensee will be expected to know where firearms cannot be carried. Best practice would be to post the restricted signage on all restricted property.
We will continue to monitor developments arising out of the new law.
Author: Brad Stewart