[shaunpain]

Basically, what are everyone's thoughts on the restrictions stating that you can't carry in a public park or on public transportation?

While I am certainly not keen on the restrictions, the bill is a package deal and we either work with it or around it. Keeping the NRA and the ISRA mum over this bill gave them the votes they needed to make sure this bill passes and defeats Quinn's veto. He will veto the bill. He's explicitly stated this numerous times in reference to this bill and every single bill Phelps bill before it. The restrictions are a huge concession, but one that was necessary (my humble opinion, anyway). I think that we won't really know how enforceable these restrictions will be until the bill becomes law and IL residents start carrying.

Also, while I know that not being able to carry in an establishment that makes 51% or more of its revenue from the sale of alcohol is pretty much standard, what do you all think about the possibility of not being able to carry in any establishment that sells alcohol?

A total ban on carry in establishments that serve alcohol is not a provision of the bill. Hearing that the provision set forth is similar to other states, I can't say that I am particularly concerned with it.

Suddenly it's starting to seem to me that I would only be able to carry while driving in my car, which makes me think that this "win" for gun owners is becoming a hell of a lot more like a tie.

I don't know what gains would be had if this heads to SCOTUS, but the state preemption provision is, to me, one of the biggest hurdles of this whole thing. Anyone with a glancing knowledge of firearm restrictions in the Chicago metro aware is well area of the confounding and idiotic patchwork of ordinances.

To anyone living outside of Chicago, this might seem like a concession too sour to swallow. As a city dweller, I am more satisfied than neutral about this bill because the state preemption provision is a huge one. My opinion is that this is NOT a bunk deal by any stretch of the imagination. We've never had a CCW law on the books and now it's happening. It seems to me that many people concerned about the public transportation caveat are not even IL residents, and if they are, live in areas where public transportation consists of a PACE bus that runs every four hours. For those downstate, hardly any public transportation exists. Given the horrifying frequency of public shootings recently , even in states with good CCW laws, I think that the restricted locations are places best avoided for the time being anyway. That's just my personal opinion. I try to avoid concentrated masses of people whenever possible. I don't have to mention how awful public transportation can be here. Those of you that have experienced it, know it.