Will Concealed-Carry Make Citizens Safer? 'Not in Elmhurst,' Chief Says

With passage of concealed-carry legislation in Illinois this week, police departments around the state are likely grappling with the implications of more guns on the streets, albeit in the hands of law-abiding citizens.

The devil is in the details, Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth said, and his department is in a holding pattern with regard to concealed-carry because they haven't seen the final legislation yet. 

"We're waiting to see the finished, signed legislation," he said Thursday. "Everything we're picking up is coming from the media right now. We're looking for something to be sent out through the Illinois Chiefs of Police Association … in the next seven to 10 days."

Regardless of the details, the legislation will provide for citizens, once they complete an approved training course and pass a background check, to carry a concealed weapon on the streets of Elmhurst. It's not a new concept. Until now, Illinois was the only state in the country that didn't allow concealed-carry.

But officers in Illinois are concerned about the implications nonetheless, Ruth said.

"Across the board law enforcement officers are concerned," Ruth said. "Most frequently, they are engaging people during difficult times, whether it be domestic violence or when they've been drinking. We come upon people during a variety of situations when emotions are very, very high."

He said officers will now have to anticipate that more people may be armed during those high-intensity encounters.

"That's something that's always kind of in the back of your mind at 2 in the morning when you stop a car," he said. "That's the variable for us.

"I look at it from a law enforcement perspective," he continued. "Having a firearm on your person (during) incidents of road rage and other things, I have some concerns about that."

Ruth said the legislature did not seek input from police chiefs, and the new law raises a lot of questions.

"When a person bonds out for an offense like driving with a suspended license and they haven't done anything wrong relative to the weapon, do we hand them back their loaded gun in the lobby of the police station? What are the penalties associated with someone who carries a gun into a school? What are the penalties for someone who walks into a liquor establishment? What are the penalties for someone who is intoxicated with a firearm? If someone discharges that weapon, they fire three shots off, do they have to report it to police?"

Then there are the more abstract questions, Ruth said.

"What are they going to do with those firearms when they go home? Will children have access to them?" Ruth said. "The people carrying a concealed weapon, are they prepared to use that weapon? The implications are huge."

Nearly 80 percent of the people who took a Patch poll earlier this week favor the legislation and feel concealed-carry will make their town safer. If the bad guys know their victim might be carrying a weapon, they might think twice before committing a crime. It's worked in other states, they say.

But Ruth is not so sure if concealed-carry makes a town safer—especially a town that doesn't see a lot of violent crime.

"Is it going to make things safer? Not for Elmhurst, it's not," he said.

He said the safety issue in general is "much deeper than a lot of people think."

"People think it will make you safer, but if someone points a gun at you in a robbery, you can't beat them to the draw," he said. "They've already got you."

The law does provide for municipalities to pass their own ordinances prohibiting possession of an assault weapon within the city limits, but they must do it within 10 days (by July 20) and violation would be a minor offense, Ruth said.

"It would be a petty offense punishable by only a fine, which equals a parking ticket," he said.

On the state level, implementation of the new law, including setting up a training program and licensing procedure for gun owners, is going to be very challenging, Ruth said.

"I think the State Police are trying to determine how they are going to implement this program," he said. "There have been no additional resources allocated for this, and there is a mandate for them to put it in motion. So, I'm sure the State Police will have some very, very big challenges ahead of them."

Elmhurst needs good policy that makes the city safe for everyone, Ruth said. 

"It's so new. We want to see what the law says so that will help us understand what the ground rules are," he said. "Then we can plug everything else into that. We've got some time. We don't think we're going to see any concealed-carries for about four months.

"We're just waiting for the final copy so there's no confusion on our part."