New Concealed Carry legislation runs up against Illinois Open Meetings Act
Well, well.
The Illinois Press Association has come out in opposition to concealed-carry legislation the General Assembly approved last week on the grounds that a newly created licensing review boards exemption from the Freedom of Information and Open Meetings acts is unwarranted.
The rationale is simple. There should not be secret government, said Don Craven, attorney for the association.
The legislation, which establishes the states first-ever system for people to carry weapons in public, also creates a seven-member panel responsible for reviewing concealed-carry permit applications red-flagged by local law enforcement.
Absolute exclusion from both acts is effectively sealing all records of the board, not just the identity of concealed-carry permit applicants, which is not information the group is after, said Josh Sharp, the associations director of government relations.
Read more:
http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1039452247/Illinois-Press-Association-opposes-exemptions-in-gun-bill