Lawsuits Filed As Chicago Denies Black People Concealed Carry Licenses
July 14, 2014 11:38 pm·
Since the State of Illinois passed a controversial Concealed Carry Weapons permit law last year, a flood of African American applicants have found themselves denied even though they are qualified to receive the permits according to the prerequisites of the law. After hundreds of such residents took a firearms training course, paid an array of fees, and submitted fingerprints for a background check that were then ultimately passed, African American applicants have been receiving notices earlier this year that a special review board has denied their applications for concealed carry licenses.
One such example, Michael Thomas was puzzled that as a former Air Force reservist who routinely carried a gun during military service and has never had a run-in with the law, was turned down, even though the law does not afford police the discretion to deny permits to those who meet the prerequisites and who are not legally prohibited. But Thomas is just one of more than 800 people who have been denied licenses by the board. This board meets behind closed doors and keeps its records and reasoning secret. Even when applicants meet all the criteria, the board says they have no obligation to explain themselves… even when it seems clear that the only disqualifying factor is the color of the applicant’s skin.
July 14, 2014 11:38 pm·
Since the State of Illinois passed a controversial Concealed Carry Weapons permit law last year, a flood of African American applicants have found themselves denied even though they are qualified to receive the permits according to the prerequisites of the law. After hundreds of such residents took a firearms training course, paid an array of fees, and submitted fingerprints for a background check that were then ultimately passed, African American applicants have been receiving notices earlier this year that a special review board has denied their applications for concealed carry licenses.
One such example, Michael Thomas was puzzled that as a former Air Force reservist who routinely carried a gun during military service and has never had a run-in with the law, was turned down, even though the law does not afford police the discretion to deny permits to those who meet the prerequisites and who are not legally prohibited. But Thomas is just one of more than 800 people who have been denied licenses by the board. This board meets behind closed doors and keeps its records and reasoning secret. Even when applicants meet all the criteria, the board says they have no obligation to explain themselves… even when it seems clear that the only disqualifying factor is the color of the applicant’s skin.
