CHATSWORTH, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Illinois State Rifle Association has filed a federal lawsuit against the state police over delays in processing concealed carry permits.
The lawsuit contends state police are "routinely" exceeding the legally mandated amount of time allowed to either issue or deny conceal carry permits: 90 days for applicants with fingerprints and 120 days without prints.
“We hear every day from people frustrated with the delays in the Concealed Carry License process,” Richard Pearson, ISRA executive director. “The law gives the Illinois State Police a certain amount of time to respond to license applications and they routinely far exceed the allotted time. The delays are unacceptable and a lawsuit at this point seems to be the only way to get them stopped.”
The average waiting time to get a license is 145 days, according state police figures from last December. Pearson said the process has taken more than a year for some gun owners. The suit said delays are unacceptable and undermining a “fundamental right."
“Honest citizens should not have to wait excessive periods of time just to exercise their Constitutional rights,” Pearson said. “The Illinois State Police needs to comply with the law in responding to Concealed Carry License applications. It is unfortunate that we have to file a lawsuit to ensure these applications are processed in a timely manner.”
State police counter it is a "time consuming and deliberate process" and they often need longer than the legally mandated 120-day maximum to preserve Illinois residents’ “safety and security.”
More than 343,000 licenses were granted last year, as opposed to 90,000 granted in 2014, according to state police figures.
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