My home state of Illinois is apparently the last state that still does not provide any way for ordinary citizens to carry concealed weapons. But that may be about to end:
In a 2-1 decision that is a major victory for the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals said the state’s ban on carrying a weapon in public is unconstitutional.
“We are disinclined to engage in another round of historical analysis to determine whether eighteenth-century America understood the Second Amendment to include a right to bear guns outside the home. 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 judges ruled.
“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.
This doesn’t mean Illinois residents can start packing heat. The current law will remain in effect for at least 180 days, during which the Illinois legislature will have to come up with a way to allow law abiding citizens to carry guns.
I think there are probably some concealed carry classes in my future.
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