Wheaton Police Chief Wanted Stricter Concealed Carry Law

The new concealed carry law legalized by Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday should have contained a few more restrictions, according to Wheaton's police chief.

Police Chief Mark Field told Wheaton Patch on Wednesday he would have preferred to see a ban of concealed firearms from establishments that sell any alcohol whatsoever. In addition, he prefers a bill that limits a person to carrying one concealed firearm at a time.

Field accepts the law for what it is, but he also expects it to undergo some changes.

"In my opinion, and, in light of (Tuesday's) override of the Governor’s veto, I believe that the Illinois Senate will probably continue to 'tweak' the bill and add additional conditions and measures to it," Field said in an e-mail. 

The Illinois General Assembly voted in favor of overriding Gov. Pat Quinn's amendatory veto to a concealed carry bill, which they already voted in favor of in June. The Senate voted 41-17 to override after the House of Representatives voted 77-31. 

Illinois was the only state to prohibit concealed carry and faced a court-mandated July 9 deadline to enact regulations, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Moving forward, Illinois gun owners will be able to carry a concealed firearm with a valid concealed carry license issued by the Illinois State Police, which now has 180 days to develop the process, the Tribune reported. Possessing a valid Firearms Owners Identification Card is not enough to conceal carry.

After the 180 days, applicants will have to wait as long as an additional 90 days to get their permits after that. The law in its original form has fewer restrictions, but does include several prohibitions against carrying in certain places like bars, schools and government buildings.

Once concealed carry is finally active in Wheaton and statewide, Field doesn't anticipate a wave of guns going off and many people getting charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm. And Field said the existence of concealed carry will be independent of situations where residents might have to justify firing bullets for their safety.

"This law should not change nor have any effect upon an Illinois citizen mounting a claim of self-defense, whether with a concealed firearm or any other deadly use-of-force with or without a weapon for that matter," Field said.

According to him, Illinois' new concealed carry law won't dramatically change the way Wheaton police do their jobs, because interacting with people and firearms always requires caution.

"Any police officer is constantly concerned and vigilant about an armed citizen in their home, vehicle, or public place and the potential danger that they pose to others and the police officer," Field said.

Related Stories

• Ives, Dillard Among Majority Overriding Quinn's Concealed Carry Veto
• General Assembly Overrides Veto, Legalizing Concealed Carry in Illinois

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