Could concealed carry come to Cook County Forest Preserves?
A downstate lawmaker wants to allow people to carry concealed weapons on Cook County Forest Preserve grounds.
The state's relatively new law allowing concealed carry across Illinois specifically exempts Cook County's preserves but none others.
The proposed legislation, introduced by state Sen. Kyle McCarter, a Lebanon Republican, would lift that ban.
"Carving out areas of gun-free zones puts qualified citizens at risk," McCarter said. "Allowing those who the state has trained to carry a gun will only provide safety."
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County sees things differently. A spokeswoman said the district asked to be exempted in the original law.
"We believe carrying a weapon in a public place of restoration, respite and recreation is contrary to our mission," spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis said.
Lukidis said the forest preserve has its own 24-hour police force, and "very rarely are there incidents of violent crime."
McCarter says he has not talked with any legislators in Cook County about his proposal. He argues that "the 2nd Amendment applies to everyone throughout the state," and setting boundaries barring people from carrying their concealed weapons anywhere is harmful.
McCarter's proposal is one of a few pieces of legislation aimed at expanding where people can carry guns legally.
State Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Republican, has proposed allowing concealed carry on public transit like buses and trains, where it's now illegal to carry.
He also has a plan to let people carry a gun in the parking lot of an otherwise prohibited area if they're in the process of storing it in the trunk of a car or taking it out of the trunk to leave.