Quinn to veto concealed carry gun law?

Gov. Pat Quinn’s people aren’t talking, but some of the people who have followed the progress of this year’s concealed carry legislation expect him to come out with an amendatory veto. Unlike a full veto, an amendatory veto rejects only certain parts of a bill. Among the provisions in the concealed carry legislation passed at the end of the spring session are barring local jurisdictions from passing their own gun legislation more than 10 days after Quinn signs the bill; allowing concealed firearms to be carried into restaurants that serve liquor; and requiring business owners who don’t want guns brought into their establishments to post a sign saying so, as opposed to prohibiting concealed weapons in businesses unless the owners post a sign saying they are welcome. The 10-day window for passing gun restrictions, such as a ban on assault weapons or high capacity magazines, would be particularly onerous for local jurisdictions whose boards don’t meet in the summer. Some legislators who voted for the concealed carry law might accept those changes. But getting enough legislators to switch to sustain a veto is a tall order. The bill passed with hefty majorities. Part of what’s going on is laying groundwork for next year. Gun rights advocates are expected to be back to make it easier to take hidden guns more places, such as public transportation. Gun violence opponents will push in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Gov. Quinn is expected – possibly this week – to sign a separate bill that will broaden background checks in Illinois and require that gun owners report lost or stolen weapons. There also has been discussion of a trailer bill. A trailer bill could take place instead of an amendatory veto, but it also might be written just to clarify ambiguities in the original legislation. Follow BackTalk on Twitter@CST_Editorials