SPRINGFIELD Four Illinois residents who have been waiting for months for their state-issued concealed carry licenses are suing officials with the Illinois State Police for allegedly depriving them of their right to bear arms and right to due process.
The lawsuit, filed Friday by the four individuals as well as the Illinois State Rifle Association and the gun-rights group Second Amendment Foundation, claims the state’s concealed carry law is unconstitutional.
Under Illinois law, the Illinois State Police must either approve or deny an application for a CCL card within either 90 days if the application includes fingerprints or within 120 days if the application does not include fingerprints.
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SPRINGFIELD The state’s top gun lobbying group filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, accusing the Illinois State Police of undermining a “fundamental right” by dragging their feet on approving licenses to allow people to carry concealed firearms taking more than a year for some gun owners.
The Illinois State Police countered that the paperwork and background checks for Concealed Carry Licenses “is a time consuming and deliberate process,” and they often need longer than the legally mandated 120-day maximum to preserve Illinois residents’ “safety and security.”
Applications for the licenses have spiked during the pandemic, along with gun sales. At the end of last year, 343,299 licenses had been issued, compared to 90,301 in 2014, according to state police figures.