iIn a previous article, we informed you of the Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act that went into effect July 9, 2013. (See Illinois’ Firearm Concealed Carry Act Need Not Strike Fear in the Hearts of Employers.) There, we advised you that an Illinois employer who wants to prohibit employees (and vendors, customers, and visitors) from carrying concealed firearms in the workplace must “clearly and conspicuously” post a sign at the entrance to the building or premises stating that firearms are prohibited. According to the statute, the sign must be “4 inches by 6 inches in size” and “of a uniform design” developed by the Department of State Police.
At the time of our last alert on this subject, the Department of State Police had not yet spoken. Since then, the Department has posted approved signage and has proposed rules that require the following:
When printed in color, this sign conforms to the Department’s proposed rules, provided that the user heeds its specific directions: “NOTE: When printing the sign, please ensure the black borders surrounding the ‘no firearms’ symbol measure 4 inches from top to bottom and 6 inches from left to right.”
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A white background
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No text (except for the reference to the statute, 430 ILCS 66/65) or marking within the one-inch area surrounding the graphic design
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A depiction of a handgun in black ink with a circle around and diagonal slash across the firearm in red ink, with the image 4 inches in diameter
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The Department has developed a template of its approved sign, which can be found on its website, here. The sign looks like this:
