Even the liberals are starting to get it.

Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune has never been a fan of the 2nd Amendment (FYI, we tend to refer to it as "2A"), but he's got two recent posts on his blog:

The spread of Concealed Carry in the last 25 years which is simply screen captures from this site: Right to Carry Map  It shows that we've gone
from this in 1986:
1- Unrestricted
8 - Shall Issue
26 - May Issue
15 - No-Issue

to this in 2011:
4 - Unrestricted
36 - Shall Issue
8 - May Issue
2 - No Issue*

*Wisconsin has no permit needed Open Carry. It will probably pass a Shall Issue Concealed Carry bill in the next several weeks.

And despite all the dire predictions of the Anti-2A groups (Brady, Violence Policy Center, Joyce Foundation., etc.), blood hasn't run in the streets, people aren't having shoot-outs over parking spaces/road rage, and it hasn't turned into the Wild West.

In fact it been the exact opposite, crime has gone DOWN in those states that have enacted Concealed Carry laws.  Even Washington and Chicago experienced dramatic decreases in crime AFTER the Heller and McDonald decisions.  Apparently the goblins figured out that they just might get ventilated, if they tried to burglarize homes that now may have an armed citizen.

His other posting Five Reasons Concealed Carry Supporters are Optimistic this Year nails it.   We've put a full court press on.  The Heller and McDonald decisions basically ruled that 1) The 2A is a fundamental right (meaning you need to have a damn good reason to put limits on it) and 2) They were only about the "Keep" part of  "Keep and Bear Arms".   There are cases wending their way through the courts that will ask the question "What about the 'Bear' part ?"   So the legislature can either get on board and create a permitting system, or the US Supreme Court may craft the rules for them, and you might not like them. 

At all. 

Or as I like to say, "We'll be able to walk around with Machine Guns glued to our foreheads."

It's time that Illinois join the rest of the US and pass Concealed Carry, or it may be forced down their throats.