FROM THE GOV'S PRESS OFFICE, July 2, 2013
– Governor Pat Quinn
today took amendatory veto action on House Bill 183 – legislation that will
allow and regulate the carrying of concealed handguns in public places. The
governor’s amendatory veto makes critical changes to several provisions that
pose significant safety risks, and strengthens the legislation to better
protect the people of Illinois. Today's action is part of the governor's agenda
to improve public safety in Illinois.
“My foremost duty as
Governor is to keep the people of Illinois safe,” Governor Quinn said. “This is
a flawed bill with serious safety problems that must be addressed. There are
too many provisions in this bill that are inspired by the National Rifle
Association, not the common good. Public safety should never be compromised or
negotiated away, and I urge members to uphold the common sense changes I
propose today."
On December 11, 2012,
three days before the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook, the United States Court
of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, (Case Nos. 12-1269 and 12-1788), struck
down Illinois’ current ban on the concealed carry of guns in public, an
unprecedented ruling.
“Let me be clear, I do
not agree with this ruling,” Governor Quinn added. “However, I am duty-bound to
address the mandates of the Court of Appeals, unless the United States Supreme
Court rules otherwise.”
The governor’s changes
to House Bill 183 include important revisions to establish a law that better
protects the safety of Illinois citizens:
· Alcohol: HB 183 allows
people to carry guns into establishments serving alcohol, including most family
restaurants and other places where large amounts of alcohol are
consumed. Mixing alcohol with guns is irresponsible and dangerous.
Illinois must keep guns out of any establishment where alcohol is consumed.
· Home-Rule: HB183 strips the
authority of home-rule governments to enact future laws on assault weapons to
protect their local communities. This NRA-inspired provision is not in the
interest of public safety or local communities. In fact, these
provisions have nothing to do with the right to carry a concealed gun and
have no place in this bill. Local governments should always have the right
to strengthen their own ordinances to protect the public safety of their
communities.
· Signage: Under the bill,
loaded guns would be allowed in stores, restaurants, churches, children's
entertainment venues, movie theaters and other private properties, unless the
owner visibly displays a sign prohibiting guns. As a matter of property
rights, the legal presumption should always be that a person is not
allowed to carry a concealed, loaded gun onto private property unless given
express permission.
·
Employer’s Rights: As currently drafted, this bill infringes
on an employer’s ability to enact policies that ensure a safe and secure work
environment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, shootings are
the most frequent cause of workplace fatalities. To best ensure a safe work
environment, employers should have the right to enact policies that prohibit
employees from carrying guns in the workplace and in the course of performing
employment-related duties.
·
Number of Guns and Ammunition: The bill provides
no cap on the number of guns, or on the size or number of ammunition clips that
may be carried. Instead, it allows individuals to legally carry multiple guns
with unlimited rounds of ammunition, which is a public safety hazard. In the
interest of common sense and the common good, it should be clarified so that
a license will permit an individual to carry one concealed gun and one ammunition
clip that can hold no more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
·
Mental Health Reporting: While HB 183 appropriately seeks to
improve mental health reporting, as Governor Quinn called for during his State
of the State address in February, the positive impact of these measures is
limited by the lack of clarity in the notification process. Clarification
is necessary to ensure these enhancements to mental health reporting prevent
guns from falling into the wrong hands.
·
Clarification of “Concealed”: As written, the
definition for "concealed firearm" includes the phrase “mostly
concealed,” which would allow a licensee to walk around in public with a
portion of his or her gun exposed. This is an irresponsible step towards
open carry in Illinois. This insufficient provision must be clarified to
ensure that when guns are carried, they are completely concealed from public
view.
·
Open Meetings Act: Under the current bill, the meetings and
records of the Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board are entirely exempt from
the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information Acts, providing zero transparency
of the meetings, budget, personnel and other aspects of this government board.
Similar to the Prisoner Review Board and the Emergency Medical Services
Disciplinary Review Board, the meetings and records of this board – unless
otherwise exempt – should be announced, open, and available to the
public.
· Law Enforcement: As written, the bill
does not require an individual to immediately disclose to a public safety
officer that he or she is in possession of a concealed firearm. In order to
protect the safety of our public safety officers in the line of duty, an
individual’s response to questions from law enforcement about whether they are
carrying a gun should always be immediate.
Governor Quinn today also urged the people of
Illinois to contact their local legislators and ask them to put public safety
first and accept the governor's important changes to this legislation.
Additionally, Governor Quinn launched a website where people can access
information about the concealed carry legislation and his amendatory veto. To
find out more, please visit www.KeepIllinoisSafe.org.
The state has been given a court-ordered
deadline of July 9 to legalize carry weapons.
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