Illinois was the only state in the nation not to allow some form of concealed carry, but a federal appeals court ruled Illinois concealed-carry ban is unconstitutional.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago says lawmakers have 180 days to pass their own version of a law allowing citizens to carry weapons.
Previous attempts to pass such legislation failed in Illinois. The most recent bill placed a long list of restrictions on when and where citizens would be allowed to carry weapons.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has previously said he would veto any law allowing citizens to carry loaded guns in public.
Ten Illinois counties had the issue on their November ballots this year. All ten counties passed a concealed carry referendum, including Rock Island, Henry, Mercer, Warren and McDonough counties in our area.
The state must now either appeal the ruling or pass some form of concealed-carry legislation within six months.
The ruling was issued Tuesday, December 11, 2012.