The State of Concealed Carry in Illinois

Photo Courtesy of Midwest Armed Citizens

Recently, Reboot Illinois released a comprehensive look of Illinois’ concealed carry law, which was finally allowed in 2013, after a federal appeals court disallowed a ban on carrying concealed firearms in the state.

Since then, 181,489 people have decided to take advantage of this new ability and grab their own concealed carry permit in the state of Illinois. The following is a list of the top 25 counties, where people love expressing their newly allowed right to bear arms the most.

The numbers next to the counties are concealed carriers per 1,000 inhabitants.

1. Grundy County- 27.9
2. Cumberland County- 28.0
3. Jersey County- 28.1
4. Woodford County- 28.2
5. Massac County- 28.8
6. Crawford County- 29.5
7. Marion County- 29.7
8. Franklin County- 30.0
9. Piatt County- 30.6
10. Clark County- 31.1
11. Shelby County- 31.1
12. Hardin County- 31.2
13. Hamilton County- 31.8
14. Jefferson County- 33.6
15. Union County- 33.6
16. Jasper County- 33.9
17. Williamson County- 34.5
18. Menard County- 35.4
19. Wayne County- 36.0
20. Wabash County- 36.9
21. White County- 38.3
22. Pulaski County- 38.3
23. Johnson County- 38.4
24. Edwards County- 41.7
25. Pope County- 42.3

So, as you can see, Pope County, in the Southern tip of the state is proud of their right to carry. Noticeably absent, though, you would think would be Cook County, due to the high population of Chicago, and while there are over 47,000 concealed carriers in the county, its population is precisely why it not only isn’t in the top 25 counties, but is actually ranked dead last. Due to the immense population of the county, it may have the most concealed carriers overall, but still, only 9 of every 1,000 inhabitants of Cook County has a concealed carry permit.

For a more in depth look at the state’s map of concealed carriers, visit rebootillinois.com.