Illinois Concealed Carry Law Goes Into Effect Next Week; Some Business Owners Wary of Public Holding

Illinois citizens will be able to apply for concealed carry permits in less than one week, leaving business owners wary of potential heightened violence.

But the state's police force says it is ready for the upcoming change in legislation, and told NBC's local station in Chicago that it will soon issue the first permits to allow people to hold firearms in public.

Police said they'd release more information on the imminent permits during a press conference in Chicago on Friday. Law enforcement officials also demonstrated what a license for concealed carry looked like, NBC reported.

Illinois residents started submitting applications for clearance to carry a concealed weapon in January, after state legislators passed the bill into law.

Illinois is the last state to allow its citizens to hold firearms publicly.

The applications started streaming in almost immediately after legislators announced the change of law - by the end of January, police received more than 16,000 requests to get a license.

Illinois State Police officials, who have been tasked with inspecting the applications, said on Friday that they think at least 400,000 people will apply for permits during the first year of the law's existence.

Those interested in submitting an application can do so online, police officials announced during Friday's news conference. Applicants also must attend 16 hours of training before obtaining an Illinois Digital ID, which is necessary to finish up the application.

But for local business owners, there's another issue to address - whether or not they want their customers carrying in-store.

Restaurants, bars, retail stores, and other public businesses must now decide if people can come in while holding. If not, a sign must be posted in front of the building clearly stating the restriction.

For two owners of a Morris bar, the answer will be no.

"A bar is definitely not the place for concealed carry," Lois Darlington, who owns Clayton's with husband Scott, told the Morris Daily Herald. "We want no part of it."