In 21 days, Illinois will either become the safest or most dangerous place in America. That’s the quandary pitched by zealous gun rights advocates and opponents as the state nears a critical deadline.

June 9 is the deadline set by courts for Illinois lawmakers to establish concealed carry regulations. The federal 7th Circuit appeals court on Dec. 11 outlawed Illinois’ statewide concealed carry ban. The ruling gave Illinois lawmakers six months to fix it.

Anyone watching Illinois lawmakers would know the legislature couldn’t do the job in six years, let alone six months. After five months of failed attempts, lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow each municipality to decide. It’s a red herring that almost certainly would not survive a court challenge.

We don’t deny the difficulty of this quandary. Iowa has shown concealed carry can be legislated and enacted safely. The statewide rules, administered through county sheriffs, accommodated a jump in permits and appears to be working. The same solution would be perfect for Illinois, if not for two things: Entrenched crony politics and Chicago.

The prospect of hundreds of thousands of new weapons among the 2 million adult residents scares us, too. Iowa’s concealed carry law led to 6 percent of the adult population being armed. In the City of Chicago, that’s 125,000 concealed weapons.

But the Second Amendment is not geographically specific. It extends the right to bear arms to all.

So Illinois, like every other state, must find a way to respect the Constitution and accommodate what’s sure to be a glut of firearms.

That’s where the crony politics comes in. Time after time, Illinois leaders have abdicated public interest for self service. Corruption exists in every state. In Illinois, it is institutionalized at the highest levels. So it will take more than a law to successfully intergrate concealed carry laws. It will take a cultural change.

Impossible? Probably. But it’s a change we believe is essential for every aspect of Illinois governance mired in every direction by crony politics.

Illinois could set a new standard with concealed carry regulation that is 100 percent transparent, from the legislative debate, to the disclosure of permits. Count us among those who believe the lawful concealed carry permit process should be entirely open. Voting is a constitutionally provided right that transparently discloses registrants. We believe gun rights are no different.

On June 9, Illinoisans will have a right to carry concealed weapons. Without a transparent, state permitting process, Illinois lawmakers are preparing to unleash havoc.

The deadline not only means Illinois residents will be able to carry a gun. Without regulation, many may feel obligated to be armed.