As you know, Illinois is the last state to prohibit concealed carrying of firearms in public and, thanks to a series of court decisions, is being forced to allow concealed carry. The Illinois legislature was given a limited time to draft and pass legislation; this legislation—though contentious—wound up basically being a very open and enviable law. Illinois will wind up being one of the more gun-friendly states in the nation.

And as you recall, Illinois is by nature a very conservative, Republican and gun-friendly state: you just wouldn’t know it. This is because most of Illinois politics is run by the City of Chicago. Chicago has just enough population to hold ten more seats of power in the Illinois legislature and ensure that any good law or good measure is corrupted and nasty and unhelpful. Needless to say, Chicago and its embarrassing and fatal application of gun control does not want concealed carry or indeed firearms of any kind in Illinois. Again, it has just enough votes to have ensured that over the decades.

Okay, so the smart-headed people won out for once in Illinois: a gun-friendly law was passed overwhelmingly despite numerous attempts by Chicago politicians to sabotage or amend the law with ridiculous restrictions.

Governor Quinn, the least popular governor in all of America—whose popularity is even less in the polls than Obamacare, if you can believe it—has announced he will use amendatory veto powers to stop the bill.

He cannot just veto the bill: the things was passed by such large numbers that it is veto proof. However, Illinois law lets him make an amendatory veto: he can write in all sorts of new conditions and line-out things he does not like.

Gov. Quinn has not clarified what his intentions there are, but most people believe he will butcher the bill to being a de facto weapons ban in line with other highly liberal states.

Relax, Illinois! If the Governor uses his amendatory veto powers, the changes need to be approved by the legislature. The Czar’s okhrana has information from a very high-ranking Democrat within the legislature that these changes have no chance of approval. Publically, a different Democrat in the legislature (Rep. Brandon Phelps), has already notified the press that that the veto will not be approved.

And if they are not approved in total, they are automatically rejected and the entire bill instantly becomes law over the Governor’s objections. In fact, the legislature is already planning to meet Monday, July 8, to reject these measures and watch the bill instantly become law.

This will of course tank Quinn’s already capsized career.

And on Monday, July 8th, Illinois will be the 50th state to authorize concealed carry. Among the interesting aspects of Illinois law:

1. Shall issue, not may issue. The State Police will grant upon request a license to carry concealed to anyone not prohibited otherwise, and who has attended the proper instruction courses and otherwise paid all permit fees.
2. You can carry a loaded weapon on you at all times, including in your vehicle, except in a few always-prohibited areas or on private property where the owner has requested no firearms.
3. Local ordinances will not be able to restrict you from carrying, except in very specific circumstances. This is to prevent municipalities from pulling people over and fining them for transporting a firearm though their jurisdiction. Basically, if you have a weapon, you can go from point A to point B without too much worry about local laws.
4. There is no limitation on how many weapons you can carry at one time. Although some details are to be worked out, you might not even need to completely conceal the weapon, but potentially could have a weapon partially concealed.

Lots of Illinois residents are confused by this and should not be. The Czar was speaking with a hospital security guard who indicated his management is scrambling to develop procedures for this, knowing that patients with loaded weapons will be brought into the hospital. How do we handle the weapon? Do we clear the weapon or can we store it loaded? Do we investigate whether the owner has a license to carry? When do we call the local police? And so on… but relax! The other 49 states have already answered these questions, and there should be numerous approaches to take.

Illinois is not the first state to pass concealed carry, folks—we are the last. Lighten up and if you have questions, ask what the other states are doing. Some states have had concealed carry for hundreds of years—by now, they have addressed pretty much every concern that has come up.

Big day, Moday. And interesting that we go right from Independence Day weekend straight into Concealed Carry Day here in the Land of Lincoln.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.