213 concealed carry permits issued in Perry County as of July

Illinois State Police have issued 213 concealed carry permits so far to gun owners in Perry County as the popularity of the Illinois program continues to grow.

But the growing number of people packing weapons out of sight has prompted Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman to tell his officers to ask: "Are you carrying a concealed weapon?" anytime they make even a routine traffic stop.

Kellerman said most applicants are responsible gun owners and that it will not be an issue. But, no doubt, there will be a handful of gun owners who slipped through the cracks that probably shouldn't have concealed weapons permit and that becomes a problem.

Perry County's 213 concealed carry permits puts the county at No. 38 in the state out of 102 counties. At this writing .97 percent (less than 1 percent) of residents are now allowed to pack concealed weapons.

In neighboring counties, residents of Williamson County have been issued 889 concealed carry permits. Franklin County residents hold 473 permits. Jackson County residents hold 403 permits.

Between February and July, nearly 69,000 concealed carry permits have been issued in Illinois, and reports indicate technology issues and other problems applicants have experienced when the process started in January have largely been remedied.

Where are the most concealed carry permits being issued?

By sheer volume, that's Cook County, with 17,477 permit holders - but that's only 0.33 percent of all residents, which puts it at 96th out of 102 counties in Illinois.

The Illinois State Police will begin telling applicants for concealed carry permits why their applications have been denied, under new emergency rules filed last week.

Those rules, to be officially published July 25, state that the Concealed Carry License Review Board will send notice of objections that have been filed to their permit applications, including the reason for that objection and the agency submitted that rejection, according to a state police news release.

Some applicants have filed lawsuits saying they never were told why their permit applications were denied.

Applicants have 10 days to provide the board evidence to prove their eligibility, according to the news release.

State police say the change was necessary to deal with the lawsuits already filed and because of the prospect of more lawsuits.