* Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart will propose a local concealed carry ordinance in case the General Assembly doesn’t come to an agreement by the court-imposed June 9th deadline…

Dart’s ordinance would give him the power to approve and reject licenses to carry concealed guns in Cook County. Applicants would have to pay a $300 fee for a license. […]

Chicago Police spokesman Adam Collins said: “If a statewide law is not passed, the city is preparing to implement a comprehensive concealed-carry ordinance to ensure that guns stay out of the hands of criminals.” […]

Dart said he recently spoke to elderly people in the south suburbs. They complained that the police were unresponsive. Some said they were regularly burglarized while they attended church.

“It’s a matter of timing,” Dart said, noting that those people could have become homicide victims if they came home during a burglary.

Those are the types of people who might show a need for a concealed-carry permit, Dart said. But someone without a specific need for a gun would have difficulty receiving a license, he said.

Business owners who could hire armed security for protection also might have a hard time getting a license, Dart said.

…Adding… I wish the Chicago police would get a freaking clue. The concealed carry debate is not about criminals getting guns. Criminals cannot legally obtain a FOID card in this state, which is a prerequisite to a concealed carry permit - or even carrying publicly if the state’s unlawful use of a weapon law is finally struck down on June 9th.

* I asked the NRA’s Todd Vandermyde for a response…

One state, one law. They want a no carry zone that encompasses 40% of the population and we won’t budge on it statewide with preemption.

Either by fees or fiat they want their Jim Crow gun laws to deny a fundamental right. What part of the decision do they not understand? $300 for a permit plus what ever other things they pile on top of it– no way

But it lessens any reason to work with Dart on his other legislation.

He added…

So Matt Murphy and Chris Radogno are supposed to go beg Tom Dart for a carry permit? Yeah, I don’t think so.