By Greg McCune
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Illinois House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to allow residents to carry concealed guns, which would bring Illinois into line with gun laws in all of the other 49 states.
If the state Senate also votes in favor later on Tuesday it would formally end the last state prohibition on concealed carry and hand a significant victory to the gun rights lobby, the National Rifle Association.
Democratic Governor Pat Quinn had objected to several provisions of the proposal and vetoed parts of the bill. The vote in the House was 77 to 31, which was more than enough to override his objections.
The proposal becomes law if three-fifths of the legislators in each chamber vote to override the governor.
The Illinois proposal says that the state police "shall issue" a permit to carry concealed guns to any applicant who passes a background check and takes 16 hours of required firearms training. The bill would ban guns in some public places such as bars, churches and schools.
The proposal also would prevent the city of Chicago, which is facing a wave of gun violence and murders, from passing new gun control laws such as a ban on assault weapons. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed an assault weapons ban to the city council.
The Illinois legislature acted only after a federal appeals court last December struck down the state prohibition on concealed carry and said it violated the constitutional right to bear arms. The court gave Illinois until July 9 to enact a new law.
Gun control has been a hot national issue since 20 children and six adults were killed at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, last December, prompting President Barack Obama to push Congress for tighter gun laws.
But the issue has divided the state Democratic party along urban-rural lines. Many lawmakers from Chicago want tighter gun control laws as a way to try to stem the city's violence. In rural areas, where hunting is popular, lawmakers prefer more permissive rules.
Quinn said the bill would endanger public safety, and he made a series of proposals to change it. Lawmakers said they would consider Quinn's proposals but only after concealed carry becomes law.