By Todd Wineburner

State Senator Jason Barickman is co-sponsoring a bill that he says will bring Illinois into alignment with the rest of the country and provide a reasonable concealed carry statute. An appellate court ruling requires Illinois to draft a constitutionally acceptable concealed carry statute, but the issue isn’t as cut-and-dried as some had hoped. When the topic came to the floor of the Illinois House, Speaker Mike Madigan used an unusual procedure to create an unfocused shell bill with a collection of conflicting amendments, preventing an up-or-down vote on a particular piece of legislation. Barickman has signed onto Senate Bill 1284, which he says will give Illinoisans a reasonable path for obtaining a concealed carry permit, while still providing appropriate safeguards. The bill is currently being reviewed by a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.