IL Governor Promises a Fight as Lawmakers Prepare To Overturn Concealed-Carry Veto

Give it a rest, Pat

Lawmakers return to Springfield today, poised to override Gov. Pat Quinn's rewrite of a proposed law allowing concealed carry of firearms, but his actions and those of his potential rivals have created a conundrum for many Downstate Democrats in the early stages of the 2014 race for governor.

The prospects for rejecting Quinn's changes are high in the Democratic-controlled legislature, which faces a court-ordered deadline to enact a concealed carry law. Still, even a quick resolution on the latest gun regulation fight poses longer-term questions for the Democrats.

Quinn's gun-control position, along with those of potential primary challenger Bill Daley, give gun-rights-supporting Democrats outside the Chicago area little place to turn when it comes to casting a primary ballot for the state's top job. If Attorney General Lisa Madigan gets into the contest, her record in support of gun regulation also leaves gun-owner rights advocates out in the cold.