Last state passes law on concealed handguns

Illinois this week became the last state in the nation to allow licensed residents to carry concealed handguns. The state had been under court order to adopt the law since December, when a federal appeals court struck down the state’s ban on concealed carries as a violation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. In May, the state legislature passed a bill allowing citizens to apply for permits to carry firearms in public, but Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed it, citing an epidemic of gun violence in Chicago, where 12 people were shot dead last weekend. This week majorities in the state House and Senate overrode his veto. “This was the wrong move for public safety in Illinois,” said Quinn.