Wealthier whites get 90 percent of licenses in Illinois
CHICAGO - Kelly Ridell of The Washington Times has written a piece on the racial disparities appearing as Illinois implements its new conceal carry law.
Ridell notes that "The majority of Illinois’ 73,714 active concealed carry licenses — 90 percent — have been issued to white people, demographic data shows. Only eight percent of African-Americans have secured licenses, according to the FOIA information." She goes on:
"Illinois residents say the disproportionate statistics all boil down to cost. Of right-to-carry states, Illinois has the highest registration and training fee, costing an applicant about $650 on average for fingerprinting, taxes and logistics — excluding the price of the gun (and Illinois' FOID - Firearms Owners Identification card)."
"Illinois also has the longest training requirements of right-to-carry states, requiring potential licensees to take a 16-hour course that includes range time. There are no gun ranges within the city of Chicago, and carrying an unlicensed gun on public transportation is a crime."
In addition, Ridell notes that "When Illinois became the final state to allow its citizens to apply for concealed carry, it applied a loophole that allows local law enforcement to deny permits for any reason. The Cook County Sheriff’s office has said it would like to object to as many concealed carry applicants as it can worry about."
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