Illinois is amplifying its argument that a federal judge reject a legal push by gun-rights advocates to immediately start carrying firearms publicly, rather than waiting months under the state's new concealed carry law.
The law that passed July 9 gives Illinois State Police six months to set up a concealed-carry program before accepting applications. Police then have 90 days to process the forms.
Gun-rights advocate Mary Shepard and the Illinois State Rifle Association say in a court filing Thursday that wait imposes irreparable harm on citizens by intruding on their Second Amendment right to publicly carry a firearm. The state counters in a separate filing that Shepard needs to file a new complaint spelling out why the law's time allowances are unreasonable.