SB2188 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB093 18296 RLC 44000 b

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
SB2188

Introduced 1/14/2004, by Edward Petka

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act
430 ILCS 65/13.1	from Ch. 38, par. 83-13.1

Creates the Retired Officers Security Act. Permits the Department of State Police to issue permits to carry concealed firearms to retired peace officers and retired military who have served honorably for at least 10 years. Provides that permits to carry a concealed firearm shall be valid throughout the State for a period of 4 years from the date of issuance. Provides that a person in compliance with the terms of the permit may carry concealed firearms on or about his or her person. Provides that the permittee shall carry the permit at all times the permittee is carrying a concealed firearm and shall display the permit upon the request of a law enforcement officer. Establishes firearm proficiency tests for applicants for concealed carry permits. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2010. Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Pre-empts home rule regulation of the issuance of concealed carry permits. Effective immediately.

CORRECTIONAL BUDGET AND IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

HOME RULE NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning firearms.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Retired Officers Security Act.

Section 5. Legislative declaration. The General Assembly finds that as a matter of public policy it is necessary to provide statewide uniform standards for issuing permits to carry concealed firearms for retired peace officers and that no person who does not qualify under the provisions of this Act receives a permit to carry concealed firearms. The General Assembly recognizes that it already regulates the use and possession of concealed firearms under Sections 24-1 and 24-1.6 of the Criminal Code of 1961 and that the regulation of concealed firearms is an exclusive statewide function. The General Assembly does not delegate to the Department of State Police the authority to regulate or restrict the issuing of concealed firearms permits provided for in this Act beyond those provisions contained in this Act.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Concealed firearm" means a handgun carried on or about a person completely or mostly concealed from view of the public, or carried in a vehicle in such a way as it is concealed from view of the public.

"Department" means the Department of State Police.

"Director" means the Director of State Police.

"Fund" means the Retired Officers Security Trust Fund.

"Handgun" has the meaning ascribed to it in subsection (A)(h) of Section 24-3 of the Criminal Code of 1961.

"Permit" means a permit to carry a concealed firearm issued by the Department of State Police.

"Permittee" means a person who is issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm by the Department of State Police.

Section 15. Retired Officers Security Fund.

(a) There is created the Retired Officers Security Trust Fund. The Fund shall be maintained apart from the State treasury and shall be administered by the Department. Moneys from federal and State sources may be deposited into the Fund. Fees from applications for new, renewal, corrected, and duplicate concealed firearms permits shall be deposited into the Fund. The Department may invest the moneys in the Fund, and any income on these investments shall be reinvested in the Fund.

(b) The Department shall use the moneys in the Fund exclusively for the administration of this Act.

Section 20. Permit for concealed firearms. The Department of State Police is authorized to issue permits to carry concealed firearms to persons qualified as provided in this Act. Permits to carry a concealed firearm shall be valid throughout the State for a period of 4 years from the date of issuance. Any person in compliance with the terms of the permit may carry concealed firearms on or about his or her person. The permittee shall carry the permit at all times the permittee is carrying a concealed firearm and shall display the permit upon the request of a law enforcement officer. The permit is valid throughout the State.

Section 25. Application for permit and qualifications of applicants.

(a) An applicant for a permit shall obtain the application from the Department of State Police. The completed application and all accompanying material plus an application fee of $100 for a new permit or $75 for a renewal shall be submitted to the Department of State Police.

(b) The Department of State Police, upon a person's application for a concealed firearms permit, upon receipt of the appropriate fees, and after compliance with the procedures set out in this Section, shall issue the applicant a concealed firearms permit if the person:

(1) resides within the State of Illinois and has been a resident for the last 6 months and is a permanent resident of the United States;

(2) has not been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, or of a misdemeanor evidencing violence, is not free on any form of bond or pretrial release, and has no outstanding warrants for those crimes;

(3) has no record of mental disease or mental illness on file with the Department of State Police or the Department of Human Services that would evidence incapacity, or lack of proper mental capacity;

(4) has not been committed to a state or federal facility for the abuse of a controlled substance or cannabis or has not been convicted of a misdemeanor violation of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act or the Cannabis Control Act or similar laws of any other state relating to controlled substances or cannabis within a 10-year period immediately preceding the date on which the application is submitted; and

(5) shows proof that he or she either:

(A) is a graduate of a police training institute or academy, who after graduating served for at least 10 years as a sworn, full-time peace officer qualified to carry firearms for any federal or State department or agency or for any unit of local government of Illinois and has retired as a local, State, or federal peace officer in a publicly created peace officer retirement system; whose service in law enforcement was honorably terminated through retirement or disability and not as a result of discipline, suspension, discharge, or decertification by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board; or

(B) served for at least 10 years as a member of the United States Armed Forces whose service was honorably terminated and not as a result of discipline, suspension, or discharge.

Section 30. Contents of application. The initial application shall be in writing, under oath and under the penalties of perjury, on a standard form promulgated by the Department of State Police, and shall be accompanied by the appropriate fees and required documentation. The application shall contain only the following information:

(1) the applicant's name, address, gender, and date and place of birth;

(2) a head and shoulder color photograph taken within 30 days preceding the date on which the application is submitted;

(3) questions to certify or demonstrate the applicant has completed a firearms and deadly use of force training and education prerequisites specified under this Act;

(4) a statement that the applicant is a resident of the State of Illinois and has been a resident for the last 6 months and is a permanent resident of the United States;

(5) a waiver of privacy and confidentiality rights and privileges enjoyed by the applicant under all federal and State laws governing access to juvenile court, criminal justice, psychological or psychiatric records, or records relating to the applicant's history of institutionalization, and an affirmative request that any person having custody of any such record provide it or information concerning it to the Department;

(6) a conspicuous warning that false statements made by the applicant will result in prosecution for perjury in accordance with Section 32-2 of the Criminal Code of 1961;

(7) that the applicant possesses a currently valid Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification Card, together with the card number, or is applying for the card in conjunction with the concealed firearms permit application;

(8) an affirmation that the applicant has never been convicted of any felony;

(9) the applicant's signature, under oath, attesting to the following statement: "I, the undersigned, state, under oath and subject to the penalty of perjury, that I am not a streetgang member as defined in Section 10 of the Illinois Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act and that I will not join or become associated with a criminal streetgang."; and

(10) appropriate documentation to support that the applicant meets the requirements of clause (b)(5) of Section 25 of this Act.

Section 35. Submission of identifying information; fee. In addition to the completed application, the applicant must submit the following information to the Department of State Police:

(i) a head and shoulder color photograph as required by Section 30 in a size specified by the Department of State Police taken within 30 days preceding the date on which the application is submitted;

(ii) a non-refundable permit fee of $100 if he or she has not previously been issued such a permit by the Department of State Police, or a non-refundable permit fee of $75 for each renewal of a permit;

(iii) a full set of legible fingerprints administered to the applicant by the Department of State Police, or any other federal, State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency; any cost of fingerprinting shall be paid by the applicant; and

(iv) a photocopy of a certificate or other evidence of completion of a course to show compliance with Section 90 of this Act.

Section 40. Approval of application.

(a) If the Department of State Police finds that the applicant possesses a valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card, meets the training requirements of this Act, and has provided the documentation and paid the fees required for issuance of a concealed firearms permit and that, as nearly as it is possible to determine, nothing in the applicant's background or present circumstances disqualify him or her from possessing a firearm in Illinois, it shall approve the application and issue the applicant a wallet-sized permit bearing the photograph of the applicant within 90 days.

(b) If the applicant is found to be ineligible, the Department of State Police shall deny the application and notify the applicant in writing, stating the grounds for denial and informing the applicant of the right to submit, within 30 days, any additional documentation relating to the grounds of the denial. Upon receiving any additional documentation, the Department of State Police shall reconsider its decision and inform the applicant within 30 days of the result of the reconsideration. The applicant shall further be informed of the right to appeal the denial in the circuit court of his or her place of residence.

(c) The Department of State Police shall maintain an automated listing of permit holders and pertinent information, and this information shall be available on-line, upon request, at all times to all Illinois law enforcement agencies. Except as provided in this subsection, information on applications for permits, names and addresses, or other identifying information relating to permit holders shall be confidential and shall not be made available except to law enforcement agencies. Requests for information about any permit holder made by persons other than a bona fide law enforcement agency shall be made to the Department of State Police together with any fee required for the providing of information. The Department of State Police shall, upon proper application and the payment of the required fee, provide to the requester, in written form only, a list of names of any or all holders in the State of Illinois licensed to carry a concealed firearm. No identifying information other than the name shall be provided, and information for geographic areas or other subdivisions of any type from the list shall not be provided, except to a bona fide law enforcement agency, and shall be confidential. No requests for lists of local or statewide permit holders shall be made to any State or local law enforcement agency. No other agency of government other than the Department of State Police shall provide any information to a requester not entitled to it by law. The names of all persons, other than law enforcement agencies and peace officers, requesting information under this Section shall be public records.

Section 45. Revocation of a permit. A permit issued under Section 40 shall be suspended or revoked if the permit holder becomes ineligible to be issued a permit under the criteria set forth in clauses (b)(1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) of Section 25 or subsection (b) of Section 40 of this Act. When an order of protection is issued under Section 112A-14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 or under Section 214 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 against a person holding a permit issued under this Act, the holder of the permit shall surrender the permit to the court or to the officer serving the order. The officer to whom the permit is surrendered shall forthwith transmit the permit to the court issuing the order. The permit shall be suspended until the order is terminated.

Section 50. Notification of renewal. Not later than 120 days before the expiration of any permit issued under this Act, the Department of State Police shall notify the permit holder in writing of the expiration and furnish an application for renewal of the permit.

Section 55. Renewal of permit.

(a) The permit shall be renewed for a qualified applicant upon receipt of the properly completed renewal application and required renewal fee. The renewal application shall contain the same required information as set forth in paragraphs (1) through (9) of Section 30, except that in lieu of the firearm education and use of deadly force training, the applicant need only demonstrate previous issuance of and continued eligibility for a concealed firearms permit.

(b) A permittee who fails to file a renewal application on or before its expiration date must pay an additional late fee of $25. A person who fails to renew his or her application within 6 months after it's expiration must reapply for a new permit and pay the fee for a new application.

Section 60. Change of address, change of name, or lost or destroyed permits.

(a) Within 30 days after the changing of a permanent residence, or within 30 days after loss or destruction of a concealed firearms permit, the permittee shall notify the Department of State Police of the loss, destruction, change of name, or change of residence. Failure to notify the Department of State Police shall constitute a noncriminal violation with a penalty of $25 payable to the Department of State Police.

(b) If a person issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm changes residence within this State, or changes his or her name, the person to whom the permit was issued may upon payment of $25 to the Department of State Police obtain a corrected concealed firearms permit with a change of address or change of name upon furnishing a notarized statement to the Department of State Police that the permittee has changed residence, or his or her name, and upon submission of an application as set forth in Section 25 and photograph as set forth in paragraph (2) of Section 30 of this Act. A concealed firearms permit shall be automatically invalid after 30 days if the permittee has not notified the Department of State Police of a change of residence.

(c) If a permit to carry a concealed firearm is lost or destroyed, the permit shall be automatically invalid, and the person to whom the permit was issued may upon payment of $25 to the Department of State Police obtain a duplicate, upon furnishing a notarized statement to the Department of State Police that the permit was lost or destroyed and submission of an application as set forth in Section 25 and photograph as set forth in paragraph (2) of Section 30 of this Act.

Section 65. Concealed firearms permit.

(a) A concealed firearm permit shall authorize the person in whose name the permit is issued to carry concealed firearms on or about his or her person or vehicle throughout the State. No permit issued under this Section shall authorize any person to carry a concealed firearm into or upon:

(i) Any police, sheriff, or Department of State Police office or station without the consent of the chief law enforcement officer in charge of that office or station.

(ii) The facility of any adult or juvenile detention or correctional institution, prison, or jail.

(iii) Any courthouse, solely occupied by the Circuit, Appellate, or Supreme Court, or a courtroom of any of those courts, or court proceeding, except that nothing in this Section shall preclude a judge, holding a concealed firearm permit, from carrying a concealed firearm within a courthouse.

(iv) Any meeting of the governing body of a unit of local government; or any meeting of the General Assembly or a committee of the General Assembly, except that nothing in this Section shall preclude a member of the body, holding a concealed firearms permit, from carrying a concealed firearm at a meeting of the body which he or she is a member.

(v) The General Assembly may by statute, and the county or municipality may by ordinance, prohibit or limit the carrying of concealed firearms by permit holders in that portion of a building owned, leased, or controlled by that unit of government. That portion of a building in which the carrying of concealed firearms is prohibited or limited shall be clearly identified by signs posted at the entrance to the restricted area. The statute or ordinance shall exempt any building used for public housing by private persons, highways or rest areas, firing ranges, and private dwellings owned, leased, or controlled by that unit of government from any restriction on the carrying or possession of a firearm. The statute or ordinance shall not specify any criminal penalty for its violation but may specify that persons violating the statute or ordinance may be denied entrance to the building, ordered to leave the building, and, if the employees of the unit of government, be subjected to disciplinary measures for violation of the provisions of the statute or ordinance. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any other unit of government.

(vi) Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense beer or alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to that purpose. This paragraph (vi) does not apply to any bona fide restaurant open to the general public having dining facilities for not less than 50 persons and that receives at least 50% of its gross annual income from the dining facilities by the sale of food.

(vii) Any area of an airport to which access is controlled by the inspection of persons and property.

(viii) Any place where the carrying of a firearm is prohibited by federal law.

(ix) Any elementary or secondary school facility without the consent of school authorities.

(x) Any portion of a building used as a child care facility without the consent of the manager. Nothing in this Section shall prevent the operator of a child care facility in a family home from owning or possessing a firearm or permit.

(xi) A riverboat gambling operation or horse racing facility accessible by the public.

(xii) Any gated area of an amusement park.

(xiii) Any stadium, arena, or collegiate or professional sporting event.

(xiv) A church or other place of religious worship.

A violation of this subsection (a) is a Class C misdemeanor.

(b) A concealed firearm permit does not authorize the concealed carrying or transportation of a stun gun or taser.

Section 70. Immunity of Department, sheriff, municipal police department, and their employees and agents. The Department of State Police, office of the county sheriff, or municipal police department, and any employee or agent of the Department of State Police, county sheriff, or municipal police department is not liable for damages in any civil action arising from alleged wrongful or improper granting, renewing, or failure to revoke permits issued under this Act.

Section 80. Fees.

(a) Fees collected under this Act and deposited into the Retired Officers Security Trust Fund shall be used exclusively for administering the provisions of this Act; except that, commencing January 1, 2005, any excess moneys in the Fund may be used to ensure the prompt and efficient processing of applications received under Section 30 of this Act.

(b) Fees for a concealed firearms permit shall be:

Section 85. Applicant training.

(a) The applicant training course shall be the standardized training course furnished by the Department and taught by a qualified firearms instructor, consisting of:

(1) Eight hours of classroom instruction, covering at least the following topics:

(i) handgun safety in the classroom, at home, on the firing range, or while carrying the firearm;

(ii) the basic principles of marksmanship;

(iii) care and cleaning of handguns; and

(iv) by means of a videotape produced or approved by the Department:

(A) the requirements for obtaining a concealed firearms permit in this State;

(B) laws relating to firearms as prescribed in the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act, Article 24 of the Criminal Code of 1961, and 18 U.S.C. 921 through 930; and

(C) laws relating to the justifiable use of force as prescribed in Article 7 of the Criminal Code of 1961.

(2) Live firing exercises of sufficient duration for each applicant to fire:

(i) a handgun from a standing position;

(ii) a minimum of 20 rounds; and

(iii) at a distance from a B-21 silhouette target, or an equivalent as approved by the Department, of 7 yards.

(b) The classroom portion of the course may be, at the qualified firearms instructor's discretion, divided into segments of not less than 2 hours each.

(c) (1) An applicant training course shall not be open to persons who are less than 21 years of age.

(2) An applicant training course students shall complete a course application form, which shall include a statement acknowledging receipt of copies of pertinent statutory provisions listed in clauses (A), (B), and (C) of subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (1) of subsection (a) and a liability waiver.

(3) The course application form may be obtained from the qualified firearms instructor at the time of the course.

(d) At the conclusion of the classroom portion of the applicant training course, the qualified firearms instructor shall:

(1) distribute a standard course examination to the students;

(2) not leave the room in which the examination is being held while the examination is in progress;

(3) collect examination booklets and answer sheets from each student at the end of the examination period;

(4) not grade the examinations in the presence of students; and

(5) not divulge an applicant's numeric score on the day of the examination, but may indicate whether an applicant passed or failed the examination.

(e) A person shall not:

(1) make an unauthorized copy of the applicant training course examination, in whole or in part;

(2) possess the applicant training course examination, or questions from the examination, unless authorized by the Department; or

(3) divulge the contents of an applicant training course examination questions to another person.

(f) (1) Students shall provide their own safe, functional handgun and factory-loaded ammunition.

(2) Prior to conducting range firing, the certified firearms instructor shall:

(i) inspect each applicant's firearm; and

(ii) not allow the firing of a handgun that is not in sound mechanical condition or otherwise may pose a safety hazard.

(g) Grades of "passing" shall not be given on range work to an applicant who:

(1) does not follow the orders of the certified firearms instructor;

(2) in the judgment of the certified firearms instructor, handles a firearm in a manner that poses a danger to the applicant or to others; or

(3) during the testing portion of the range work fails to hit the silhouette portion of the target with a majority of 20 rounds.

(h) Certified firearms instructors shall:

(1) allow monitoring of their classes by officials of any certifying agency;

(2) make all course records available upon demand to authorized personnel of the Department; and

(3) not divulge course records except as authorized by the certifying agency.

(i) (1) Fees for applicant training courses shall not exceed $75 per student.

(2) Qualified firearms instructors shall collect the fee and remit $25 of the fee to the Department.

(3) Fees shall not be refunded to students who fail or otherwise do not complete the course.

(j) An applicant training course shall not have more than 40 students in the classroom portion or more than 10 students per range officer engaged in range firing.

(k) Within 3 working days after the completion of the course, the certified firearms instructor shall:

(1) grade the examinations; and

(2) mail to the Department:

(i) the completed course application form, showing the student's score on the written examination and indicating whether the student passed or failed the range work; and

(ii) the graded examinations.

(l) Within 15 days after receipt of the material described in section (k), the Department shall mail to the applicant:

(i) a certificate of successful course completion; or

(ii) notification that the applicant has failed the course and will not be certified.

(m) A student shall be issued a certificate of completion if he or she:

(i) answers at least 70% of the written examination questions correctly; and

(ii) achieves a grade of "passing" on the range work.

(n) (1) Students who score below 70% on the written examination may retake the examination one time without having to retake the course.

(2) Students who do not achieve a grade of "passing" on the range work may repeat the range work one time without having to retake the course.

(3) Notices of failure shall include information on whether the student failed the written exam, the range firing, or both.

Section 90. Firearms instructors training.

(a) Persons who are not qualified firearms instructors shall not teach applicant training courses.

(b) Persons who are not qualified firearms instructors shall not advertise or otherwise represent courses they teach as qualifying their students to meet the requirements to receive a permit to carry concealed firearms in this State.

(c) Persons who are not certified instructor trainers shall not teach instructor qualification courses.

(d) Persons wishing to become qualified firearms instructors shall:

(1) be at least 21 years of age;

(2) be a citizen of the United States; and

(3) meet the requirements of subsection (b) of Section 25.

(e) Persons wishing to become instructor trainers, in addition to the requirements of subsection (d) of this Section, shall:

(1) possess a high school diploma or GED certificate;

(2) have at least one of the following valid firearms instructor certifications:

(I) National Rifle Association Personal Protection Instructor;

(II) National Rifle Association Pistol Marksmanship Instructor;

(III) certification from a firearms instructor's course offered by a State or federal governmental agency; or

(IV) a similar firearms instructor qualifying course, approved the Director of State Police or his or her designee.

(f) (1) Applicants shall agree to background checks.

(2) An applicant may be disqualified from taking firearms instructor training, or have his or her instructor qualification revoked, if the applicant:

(A) does not meet the requirements of this Act to possess a concealed firearms permit;

(B) provides false or misleading information on the application; or

(C) has had a prior instructor qualification revoked by the Department.

(g) The training course to certify firearms instructors and instructor trainers shall include:

(1) Sixteen hours of classroom instruction covering at least the following topics:

(i) by means of a videotape produced or approved by the Department:

(A) the requirements for obtaining a concealed firearms permit in this State;

(B) laws relating to firearms as contained in the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act, Article 24 of the Criminal Code of 1961, and 18 U.S.C. 921 through 930;

(C) laws relating to the justifiable use of force as contained in Article 7 of the Criminal Code of 1961;

(D) the conduct of applicant training courses;

(E) record-keeping requirements of this Act;

(F) the basic nomenclature of handguns;

(G) the basic principles of marksmanship; and

(H) the safe handling of handguns.

(2) A classroom demonstration, during which the instructor candidate shall receive instruction on and demonstrate competency in the ability to prepare and deliver a classroom presentation using materials from the applicant curriculum.

(3) Range instruction and firing of live ammunition, during which the instructor candidate shall receive instruction on and demonstrate competency in the ability to:

(i) handle and fire a handgun safely and accurately;

(ii) conduct a function test and safety inspection of common types of handguns;

(iii) clean common types of handguns; and

(iv) supervise and conduct live firing exercises in a safe and efficient manner.

(h) To qualify as a certified firearms instructor or instructor trainer, instructor candidates shall achieve:

(1) a minimum score of 70% on a written examination covering the material taught during the classroom portion of the course;

(2) a minimum score of 80% on range firing of a handgun from the standing position while aiming at a B-21 PC silhouette target or an equivalent as approved by the Department, with a minimum of:

(i) ten rounds from 7 yards;

(ii) ten rounds from 15 yards; and

(iii) a score of "passing" from the course instructor for demonstrating competency in each of the following:

(A) supervising and conducting live fire;

(B) cleaning and inspecting handguns; and

(C) preparing and delivering the classroom lecture.

(i) Instructor candidates who fail to meet the minimum requirements of subsection (g) of this Section may retake the examination, range work, or classroom demonstration one time without having to repeat the course.

(j) Qualified firearms instructor and instructor trainer certificates shall be valid for 3 years from date of issue. Qualified firearms instructors or instructor trainers may renew their certification by successfully completing a refresher course offered or approved by the Department.

(k) The fees for instructor trainer or refresher courses shall be $100 per student.

(1) The fees for qualified instructor courses shall be no more than $100 per student. The instructor trainer shall remit $50 per student to the Department.

(2) Fees shall not be refunded to those who do not pass or otherwise fail to complete a course.

(l) Course participants shall provide their own safe, functional handgun and factory-loaded ammunition.

(m) Prior to conducting range firing, the course instructor shall:

(1) inspect each applicant's firearm; and

(2) not allow the firing of a handgun that is not in sound mechanical condition or otherwise may pose a safety hazard.

Section 95. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1, 2010.

Section 100. Severability. The provisions of this Act are severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.

Section 105. The Firearm Owners Identification Card Act is amended by changing Section 13.1 as follows:

(430 ILCS 65/13.1) (from Ch. 38, par. 83-13.1)

Sec. 13.1. The provisions of any ordinance enacted by any municipality which requires registration or imposes greater restrictions or limitations on the acquisition, possession and transfer of firearms than are imposed by this Act, are not invalidated or affected by this Act, except that an ordinance of a unit of local government, including a home rule unit, is invalid if it is inconsistent with the Retired Officers Security Act. It is declared to be the policy of this State that the regulation of the right to carry concealed firearms is an exclusive power and function of the State. A home rule unit may not regulate the issuance of permits to carry concealed firearms or the carrying and transportation of firearms. This Section is a denial and limitation of home rule powers and functions under subsection (h) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.

(Source: P.A. 76-1939.)

Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.