New gun law will make communities safer

Illinois I believe it is great that Illinois finally decided to join the rest of the states in allowing concealed carry. Some people may be scared that gun violence will go up after this, especially in Chicago. However, they need to think and realize that criminals who use guns will always find a way to be violent if they desire to do so, regardless of any law. When we did not have concealed carry, we still had issues with gun violence.

On the other extreme, people would like Illinois and the rest of the United States to ban all guns, like Australia did. The problem with that is the criminals will not follow the law. That may actually increase the rate of gun-related crime in the U.S.

With this new law, there may be an increased amount of gun owners, but the state is trying to put a lot of safeguards up to ensure that possibly dangerous people will not be able to carry a gun with them whenever. Some of the safeguards include having a FOID card, which is a permit to own a gun, a waiting period after purchase, and banning the ownership of silencers, short-barreled shotguns and automatic firearms. Also, the state will not issue just anyone a FOID card because they run checks on people and if there is reasonable suspicion that the person is dangerous, they will not get a FOID card.

I honestly think this new law will improve the community and better educate people in gun safety because to get a permit for concealed carry a person needs to pass a 16-hour training course. So it is not like the state is saying that gun ownership is mandatory for all citizens and will be unmonitored.

Amanda Manton

Hanover Park