File Photo Of A Handgun (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS/WBBM) – Proponents of efforts to enact concealed carry laws in Illinois have released the results of a survey they say proves the issue isn’t as geographically divided as it seems.
As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Alex Degman reports, more than half of the survey respondents across four state Senate districts in the city of Chicago and the suburbs said they think law-abiding citizens should be able to protect themselves.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Alex Degman reports
“It’s not a regional issue. It’s not downstate versus Chicago. People all across this state are wanting the ability to defend themselves, and some of the people who need it the most are people who live in what some residents have described as a war zone,” said National Rifle Association Illinois lobbyist Todd Vandermyde.
The survey did not ask respondents about the pending conceal and carry legislation that was recently approved by the state House Agriculture Committee. Most questions related to how safe the respondents feel.
Vandermyde says he has not yet been in contact with the lawmakers associated with the districts to discuss the results.
The concealed carry bill passed the Agriculture Committee by a vote of 12-2 earlier this month. But the committee is dominated by downstate pro-gun rights lawmakers, and the bill must pass the full state General Assembly.
Last year, long-standing handgun bans in Chicago and Oak Park were rendered unenforceable by the U.S. Supreme Court in the ruling on the case McDonald v. Chicago. The City Council quickly passed the new ordinance to replace the gun ban, which ordinance limits gun purchases to one per month, bans gun shops in city limits and prohibits gun owners from stepping outside their homes, even onto their porches or garages.
