Springfield, Ill.
(AP) -- Illinois
lawmakers will take up carrying concealed firearms with a wide open debate on
the House floor Tuesday.
House Speaker Michael Madigan has scheduled a hearing to allow
legislators to submit amendments covering different topics involving the issue.
A federal court dismissed the Illinois
ban in December and ordered a law be approved by early June.
Madigan is a Democrat from Chicago
-- a city hit hard by gun violence that largely favors stricter gun control
more than communities in the rest of the state.
Political scientist Kent Redfield of the University
of Illinois at Springfield says the hearing allows lawmakers
to support or oppose certain gun provisions even if they don't agree with the
final legislation.
The bills are HB1155 and HB997.
Online:
http://www.ilga.gov
