Chicago police concerned about conceal-carry bill
Chicago police joined gun control groups Wednesday to voice concerns about flaws in Illinois' mental health screening system for would-be gun owners, problems that could be amplified with passage of a bill to allow permits for carrying concealed firearms.
A 2009 Illinois State Police report cited "significant information gaps" in the state's ability to detect and screen out people with serious mental illnesses who might go on a shooting rampage. A state police official testified last week that those gaps still exist.
Illinois falls short in its reporting of psychiatric hospital admissions to the FBI as required by a federal law passed after the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shootings, according to the ISP report. Gaps also exist in reporting by health professionals and nursing homes of dangerous mentally ill people who should be disqualified from gun ownership under Illinois law.
Last week, Illinois State Police Firearms Bureau Chief John Coffman told lawmakers at a hearing that the reporting problems still exist and have caused him "some sleepless nights."
"The concern is the name of a prohibited person would be found in a queue someplace after an event," Coffman said in an official audio recording of the April 14 hearing provided to The Associated Press. "We are concerned about the existence of some gaps and the potential tragedy that could occur as a result."
Richard Pearson of the Illinois State Rifle Association said gaps in the mental health reporting system are small and being fixed. He downplayed the issue as a maneuver by gun control advocates.
"They're making a mountain out of a molehill because they don't want to have concealed carry in Illinois," Pearson said. He argued that training and screening required in the bill would prevent troubled people from getting permits to carry concealed handguns.
The bill's sponsor, Harrisburg Democrat Rep. Brandon Phelps, said the $100 permit fee would cover the cost of background checks that would "weed out those people out who don't deserve a concealed carry permit."
"I understand the gang problem in Chicago, trust me, I do," Phelps said. "But criminals always are going to have guns. If we don't allow law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, we're going to be at the mercy of the criminal."
Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states that bar gun owners from carrying concealed weapons.
The proposed legislation would allow Illinois residents 21 and older to apply for permits to carry concealed handguns after receiving eight hours of training. County sheriffs would issue the permits. People with criminal convictions or records of mental illness would be disqualified.
Garrett Evans and Colin Goddard, two victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting, and a Chicago Police Department official spoke against the concealed carry bill at Wednesday's press conference.
"If we don't know their mental health background, we're at a disadvantage" when confronting potential suspects "and if they have the ability to have a weapon it makes our interaction even worse," said Assistant Police Superintendent Jimmy Jackson.
Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, and Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, also spoke against the bill at the news conference.