A U.S. appeals court has ruled Illinois' ban on carrying a weapon in public is unconstitutional, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Under the 2-1 ruling, the state would have to allow residents to carry weapons. But the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has given lawmakers 180 days to "craft a new gun law that will impose reasonable limitations, consistent with the public safety and the Second Amendment as interpreted in this opinion, on the carrying of guns in public," according to the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois is the only state to not have some form of conceal carry, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Here are some excerpts from the court's opinion:
"We are disinclined to engage in another round of historical analysis to determine whether eighteenth-century America understood the Second Amendment to include a right to bear guns outside the home.
The Supreme Court has decided that the amendment confers a right to bear arms for self-defense, which is as important outside the home as inside. ...
Illinois had to provide us with more than merely a rational basis for believing that its uniquely sweeping ban is justified by an increase in public safety. It has failed to meet this burden."
The Tribune lauded the decision as a major victory for the National Rifle Association.
What do you think about the court's decision? Tell us in the comments.
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I guess you could argue that concealed carry would achieve the same thing. Yes, it must be done properly and methods instituted to educate, qualify, and control any potential for abuse. In many ways I am against violence. The world is filled with way too much of it. We are somewhat hypocritical as a society. Point a finger at someone and get arrested. Watch a hockey game and violence is exalted. Do not kill but it is okay for the Government. Although I am a compassionate person by nature I have concluded that sometimes the world is better off without certain people. Imagine if one Jew had killed Hitler or one Russian killed Stalin. How about John Wayne Gacy. The list is never-ending.What if someone hurts your loved ones? What if someone attacks you with intent to do harm? What about sociopaths who defraud others, often wiping out their savings, especially those ready to retire? By allowing this we allow the gene pool to head into a downward spiral of mediocrity. Sounds harsh but we are more concerned with breeding plants and vegetation than we are about our civilization. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I realize that I sound cold, which I am not. Maybe it is that rational part of myself that is channeling in the moment. My German, efficient and methodical part. Oh well.