Supporters say they're seeing more momentum to pass a concealed carry law in Illinois this legislative session than they've seen in more than a decade.

Tazewell County Sheriff Bob Huston has been around guns all his life. Target shooting with his grandfather. A member of Manual High School's rifle club in Peoria in the 1960s. Manager of a shooting range 25 years. Almost 40 years in law enforcement, including 12 as sheriff.

In all those years, he's never had to fire a weapon on duty. "Most police officers don't," he says. He's only had to pull a gun once while off duty.

"I was at the track running, I saw a young woman hanging out of a car while it was moving. Turned out to be boyfriend-girlfriend fight and I had a gun in the car."

Huston, along with other working and retired law enforcement officers, is among the rare class of Illinoisans who can legally carry concealed handguns. Regular, responsible, law-abiding citizens ought to have the same right in Illinois, he says.

Some 60,000 Tri-County residents with active Firearm Owners Identification Cards, not to mention new applicants, could get that chance if Illinois passes a concealed carry law this year.

The operative words are "if," "might," and Governor Pat Quinn's position. But supporters say they're seeing more momentum to pass a concealed carry law this legislative session than they've seen in more than a decade. With a House committee set to hear testimony Tuesday and the annual Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day on Thursday, gun-rights groups are loading up on political ammo.

"Honestly, I think its time has come," says state Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria.

State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, chief co-sponsor of one of six concealed carry bills introduced in the General Assembly this session, predicts some version of concealed carry will pass in the Senate - if it's called for a vote.

No concealed carry bill has made it out of a House committee since the 1990s, according to Richard Pearson, director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, a long-time lobby for concealed carry laws. But he believes something will reach the House floor.

"Something might happen this year, no doubt."

In the broad category of right-to-carry laws, Illinois is the last state standing without one. Supporters like to point out Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states in the country without laws permitting carrying concealed weapons in public. But Wisconsin recently joined the short list of open carry states that allow eligible residents to carry guns in plain sight, a move gun-rights groups see as a precursor to passing a concealed carry law there.

Concealed carry typically has had bipartisan support downstate. The campaign for legislation in Illinois got a major boost when the Supreme Court overturned Chicago's strict handgun ban last year. Mayor Jim Ardis already had pumped up the volume in 2009 when he proposed making Peoria a test-market site for concealed carry in the state.

"I didn't think it would float, but I do think it made people think about other alternatives," Ardis says. "I got dozens of e-mails from other cities saying 'If they let you do it, will you see if they'll let us do it too?'"

Newly-elected state Rep. Mike Unes, R-East Peoria, introduced a concealed carry bill - the Family and Personal Protection Act - as soon as he arrived in Springfield, then signed on as chief co-sponsor to a bill of the same name sponsored by state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg. Phelps' bill is the one most likely to be considered, observers say.

But state Rep. Dave Leitch, R-Peoria, also sees more cynical motives behind momentum to pass concealed carry in Illinois.

"I think the biggest change is a lot of members who voted for the tax increase are thinking it would be helpful for their re-elections if they passed concealed carry."

Second Amendment issues aside, several themes run through the arguments of the most ardent proponents. Concealed guns reduce crime. A law would only apply to responsible, law-abiding citizens. Many, including Ardis and Unes, tend to ask variations of the same question: Can 48, potentially 49, other states be wrong?

The logic doesn't impress Mark Walsh of the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

"If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?"

Nor does Walsh buy the Second Amendment and crime-reduction arguments.

The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed and re-affirmed a citizen's right to possess a handgun for self-protection at his home or business, but the court's rulings also left room for reasonable regulations that, in Walsh's view, could include prohibiting concealed carry. "The court hasn't ruled on it either way."

He points to the Violence Policy Center, which tracks crimes committed by people with permits to carry concealed handguns, such as Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in the Tucson rampage that left a trail of dead and injured, including Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford.

In an analysis of 2006 death rates, the center found states with the most permissive gun laws, including concealed carry laws, also had the highest rates of gun-related deaths. Arizona came out sixth in that study, while Illinois and Wisconsin ranked 37th and 40th, respectively.

"It's hard to find a serious researcher who says the research indicates concealed carry laws reduce violent crime," says Daniel Webster, professor and co-director at the Center for Gun Policy and Research at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

According to Webster, Ian Ayres of Yale University and John Donohue of Stanford University have found serious flaws in the work of John Lott, the economist, researcher and author of "More Guns, Less Crime" whose work usually is cited by gun-rights proponents.

"The effects of concealed carry aren't consistent across states," Webster says. "In some states, crime goes up, in some it goes down and in some, it doesn't change."

Most of the best research associated with concealed carry laws suggests they lead to modest increases in violent crime, particularly assaults, he says.

Sheriff Huston drew his gun more in his first two years on the street than in the last two. The combination of training, skill and confidence led him to draw a weapon less rather than more, he says. The narrow range of circumstances in which police officers can use excessive force is one reason most officers never fire in the line of duty.

"Private citizens would be even more restricted than police officers," he says. "Police officers have a duty not to back down from situations. Private citizens, on the other hand, absolutely need to walk away. This concealed carry only comes up if they're cornered and need to defend themselves."

Area legislators speak of their firearm experience

State Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria

Gun owner? Not yet. In the process of applying for firearm owner's identification card.

Quote: "It's my desire for my fiance and I to attend a firearms' training class together. We want to be responsible about it."

State Rep. Dave Leitch, R-Peoria

Gun owner? No

Quote: "Technically, yes. I have an antique rifle."

State Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Galesburg

Gun owner? Yes, a small collection including several family heirlooms and a shotgun won at a sporting event.

Ever used a firearm for self-defense or protection? "A time or two for sick animals, like a raccoon. Raccoons and skunks are things you want to be cautious of."

Quote: "I live on a farm. There are certain situations where you really shouldn't be unarmed."

State Rep. Keith Sommer, R-Morton

Gun owner? Has been in the past, for hunting.

Ever used for self-defense or protection? No.

Quote: Concealed carry "levels the playing field for those who have weapons illegally and don't care about the laws."

State Rep. Mike Unes, R-East Peoria

Gun owner? Yes. A rifle.

Ever used a firearm for self-defense or protection? "Never even remotely had to, and I hope I never have to."

Quote: "I use it more as a hobby, like shooting targets."

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis

Gun owner? Yes. Shotguns and a handgun.

Ever used a firearm for self-defense or protection? "I have not."

Quote: "I hope I never have to, but I'm prepared, and I won't be shy about it."

State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria

Gun owner? Preferred not to answer

Quote: "I grew up in South Dakota, hunting with my dad. I had my first shotgun when I was 11."

State Sen. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria

Gun owner? No. I have never.

Quote: "I'm supportive of concealed carry legislation. In my review of other states, the statistics I've seen show the crime rate has gone down where that has been passed. ... Getting guns out of the hands of convicted felons is the best way to reduce crime."

Pam Adams can be reached at 686-3245 or padams@pjstar.com.