As we reported a couple of days ago in another story (but probably should have headlined it on its own), the Illinois State Police have in recent days announced new emergency rules granting  limited due process rights to individuals who have had their concealed carry license applications subject to local law enforcement agency objections.

Before, the entire process was secret and the denied applicant didn’t even learn which agency filed the objection, much less the nature of the objection.

That has changed with the new rulemaking, and NRA attributes that change to the lawsuit sponsored by the NRA, ISRA and IllinoisCarry.com.  The suit, Thomann v. The Illinois State Police, was filed in April and sought to force the State of Illinois to grant due process to CCW applicants subject to objections from local police agencies.

That suit has been voluntarily withdrawn now that the ISP has announced these new rules.

NRA Helps Illinois Gun Owners and Scores Major Victory for Fair Play

Fairfax, Va. – Earlier this year, the National Rifle Association (NRA) sponsored litigation against the state of Illinois for its unconstitutional system of denying concealed carry licenses without any notice or opportunity to be heard.  Before the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) filed suit with NRA backing, many residents were denied the right to carry a firearm without any indication as to why the state had concluded they were a danger to themselves or others. Furthermore, the state of Illinois also denied these individuals any opportunity to rebut this unsubstantiated conclusion.

The ISRA, with the backing of the NRA, challenged this scheme as a violation of due process, and the State effectively conceded as much by ending this unfair treatment of law-abiding Illinois citizens. In light of this act of submission by Illinois, the current suit has been voluntarily dismissed.

“The NRA remains committed to our efforts to ensure that those who are improperly denied carry licenses by the Illinois Review Board, or any other state review board, are able to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to self defense outside their homes,” noted Chris W. Cox, executive of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.