Where you can’t carry: Illinois municipalities setting up the guidelines
Beginning in March the Illinois State Police started issuing concealed carry licenses to residents who completed applications.
As a result local municipalities are putting up signs where carrying a concealed weapon is prohibited. State law restricts concealed carry in 17 different places including: schools or child care facilities; government buildings; courthouses; correctional facilities; hospitals, mental health facilities or nursing homes; public transportation; bars; public gatherings or special events open to the public; events where special liquor licenses have been granted; public playgrounds, parks or athletic facilities; Cook County Forest Preserve property; colleges and universities; gaming facilities; public libraries; airports; amusement parks, zoos and museums; and nuclear facilities.
Carrying a concealed weapon also is prohibited in areas where federal law bans it. South Beloit recently put up signs at City Park that prohibits carrying a concealed weapon. South Beloit Police Chief Dean Stiegemeier said the city doesn’t plan to ban weapons in additional places other than what is listed under state law.
“We did follow the employee handbook that says employees can’t carry weapons while working with the exception of police officers,” he said.
So far about 17 people from South Beloit have applied for a concealed carry permit through the Illinois State Police, Stiegemeier said.
Police departments in South Beloit, Roscoe and Rockton have the ability to view all the requested permits through the state police database, and can object to any concealed carry permit if the department has reasonable suspicion that the person is a danger to themselves or others. If a department objects then the Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board will hold a hearing that will ultimately decide if the person should be granted the permit.
Stiegemeier said he has not objected to any permit application, and doesn’t believe the department will have to very often.
“People who are applying for it are going through the proper channels,” he said. “It’s the ones who don’t have concealed carry permits that we will have issues with.”
Roscoe Police Chief Jamie Evans said the village also plans to follow state law in terms of banned areas for concealed carry. She has searched for anyone with the 61073 zip code, and has found about 41 individuals who have applied for the permit. Evans said she has not objected to any application yet.
Rockton Deputy Chief Matt Hollinger also said the village plans to follow state law for the prohibited areas, but also said businesses and homeowners have the right to ban weapons on their property. Bars, and other businesses that make a majority of their money off of liquor, are already prohibited, but establishments such as restaurants are not automatically banned. Those businesses have to download a state police sign off of the website atwww.isp.state.il.us, Hollinger said.
The department hasn’t objected to the 20 applicants in the village that have applied for a concealed carry permit, he said, adding he also didn’t believe there would be any issues with Rockton residents.
“We’re really looking for those applicants that may have slipped through the cracks,” he said. “Seeing if they’ve had any recent events with mental illness would be one of them. I believe that most of the people that are applying for concealed carry go through the application process, already have FOID (Firearm Owners Identification) card and vast majority are good people.”
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