Right now Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states in the U.S. that entirely outlaw citizens carrying concealed firearms. But two board members are pushing a proposal to change that, starting with Winnebago County.
Looking back at recent tragedies like the N.I.U. shooting prompts many of us to ask what could have been done differently.
"If there had been a person there, who was of age and who had met the qualifications and chose to have concealed carry and the campus didn't have a problem with it, you might not have as many people dead today as you do have," says Winnebago County Board Member Doug Aurand.
Aurand and a Republican counterpart on the Winnebago County Board will bring forward a resolution at Thursday night's board meeting asking for Winnebago County residents to be allowed to carry concealed firearms, after meeting certain requirements.
"You have to have forty hours of training, you have to go through a criminal background check, you have to prove that you're mentally stable, you don't have alcohol problems, you don't have drug problems and you have to be 21 years of age," says Aurand.
Aurand says F.B.I. statistics show states that enact concealed carry laws lower their crime rates.
"Let's not kid ourselves, the bad guys have the weapons," says Aurand. "Now the bad guy, they don't know who's got a gun and who doesn't."
Aurand believes Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers already has the authority to issue gun permits to citizens. But Meyers says that rule only applies in situations like retired police officers, not ordinary residents.
Winnebago County State's Attorney Phil Nicolosi does not believe the proposal has strong legal footing.
"If the state prohibits a certain activity, a municipality or a county cannot in and of itself go in and say, well we're going to create a different law, they cannot do that," says Nicolosi.
But Aurand says the concealed carry law has never been challenged. He believes his interpretation would stand up in court.
Sheriff Meyers tells 23 News he has the authority to arm auxilary sheriff's deputies, but they have to be in uniforms, separate from those the county wears and performing specific law enforcement tasks.
He can also give retired law enforcement permits, after they complete training, but he does not believe those instances carry over to normal citizens.
Aurand argues there is little difference between arming a retired officer and a citizen who goes through training.
If the county board decides to pass the resolution, after a committe examines it, enforcing it would likely end up in court. Either Sheriff Meyers chooses not to issue the permits and someone may sue, or he does issue permits and someone sues the other way. That way a judge would make the final decision.
Aurand admits the optimal solution would be passing a state law, but since that's not happening, he wants to push the issue at the county level.