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Illinois State Police unveil concealed carry sign for weapon-restricted areas

December 12, 2013

The Illinois State Police (ISP) has released the proposed design for a mandatory “No Guns” sign following the state’s adoption of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act in July of this year. The act will allow citizens of Illinois to carry concealed firearms in public after obtaining a license, applications for which become public in early January.

The Illinois State Police revealed the proposed design for a mandatory firearm-prohibition sign. From Huffington Post.

According to ISP’s official website, “Owners of any statutorily prohibited area or private property, excluding residences, where the owner prohibits the carrying of firearms must clearly and conspicuously post the Illinois State Police approved sign, in accordance with Firearm Concealed Carry Act, at the entrance of the building, premises or real property.” The sign’s template can be downloaded from the ISP website.

Uniform design for firearm prohibition sign

The design, proposed for the standard safety sign by the state police, includes a plain white background, a single “handgun prohibited” graphic, and a reference to the Illinois code 430 ILCS 66/1 within one inch of the area surrounding the graphic.

However, the ISP’s proposed administrative rules allow flexibility for larger sign sizes and signs in additional languages, if required by property owners.

Regulations for gun-prohibited places

Even if people have licenses for carrying concealed firearms in public, the Firearm Concealed Carry Act still restricts them from carrying any weapon into a prohibited area. The extensive list of statutorily-prohibited facilities includes educational institutions, government buildings, hospitals, mental institutions, public parks, museums, and stadiums.

Posting a firearm prohibition sign in all these places is mandatory. Repeat violations of the sign and law (more than three times at any of the prohibited zones) will result in permanent revocation of the concealed carry license.

Similarly, private property owners can use the firearm prohibition sign to prevent individuals from carrying any firearm into the property under their control. The owners (excluding owners of residences) have to clearly post the ISP-approved sign at the entrance of the building or premises.

Gun ownership and the new law

It’s important to note that Illinois is witnessing a rise in gun ownership, while the rate in the rest of the country is declining. There are approximately 1.5 million firearm owners in Illinois, according to the state police.

Data obtained from ISP through a Freedom of Information Act state that about 11.5 percent of Illinoisans have a FOID card (mandatory for purchasing or possessing a firearm in the state), but the ratio is broadly unequal across counties, ranging from 44 percent ownership in Calhoun County to 6.5 percent in Cook County.