Story by 89 WLS reporter Bill Cameron
Guns and gay marriage are at the top of the agenda in Springfield when the legislature comes back next month.

You might think concealed carry is the last thing Democrats would want given their push for an assault weapons ban and a ten bullet limit on magazine clips.

But now that the courts have ruled against the state's concealed carry law, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says they need to approve concealed carry quickly to prevent violence, "If we don't pass a law, it'll be the wild west! Then people can just walk down the street without any limitation. So, we have the obligation to pass a bill. The NRA would be happy if we passed nothing."

Also at the City Club, Cullerton said the state Senate will move quickly soon to pass gay marriage, which the Democrats now call marriage equality.
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CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Senate President John Cullerton wants to push forward with a pension overhaul "as quickly as possible" and says the timing is good to move forward with legalizing gay marriage.

He spoke to the City Club of Chicago on Monday, giving a slide-slow presentation on Illinois' financial problems.

The Chicago Democrat stressed the need for addressing Illinois' worst-in-the-nation pension problem, which he says drains the state budget.

Cullerton introduced a bill after lawmakers were sworn in this month. Senate Bill 1 combines a Senate-approved measure along with a bill that failed to get a House roll-call.

He says he's working to get support. The Senate reconvenes next week.

Cullerton says Standard & Poor's recent credit rating downgrade should motivate lawmakers to act.
Copyright © 2013 Associated Press