Can we conceal carry in Illinois?

[TexasCajun]

X007: Just curious, about how long until you would get the gun back?

Since you would be presumed guilty of violating their firearms laws, they would aim to permanently confiscate your gun(s) as well as imprison you. Even if you were able to somehow fight the charges in court & win, you'd have to engage in another court battle to overturn the confiscation - which wouldn't even be guaranteed with a not guilty verdict. You've got to remember that dealing with the judicial system there, where firearms is concerned, is not anything like it is here. As passionate as we are about gun rights & 2A, they are just as fervent about their anti stance.

[Kythas]

I agree with all the above. Unless you're driving, don't even think of taking a gun.

If you're driving, before you get to the State line, you should unload your gun and put it in a locked container in your trunk.

My in-laws live just outside of Chicago and it's a hassle for them to even own guns. My mother-in-law had to get a FOID (firearm owner's ID) simply because her husband has a gun. Apparently, everyone in the house who has access to the gun should have a FOID just to avoid any problems. In Illinois, you must have a FOID to even simply possess a gun. This includes going to a range with a friend and having the friend hand you his gun. If you don't have a FOID, you're breaking Illinois law if you take it. I shake my head every time I talk to them about the hoops they must jump through regarding firearms ownership.

There are exceptions for non-Illinois residents traveling through the state, but they're very narrow.

Your best bet - leave it at home. Don't even take a chance.

[bauer]

In Illinois, you must have a FOID to even simply possess a gun. This includes going to a range with a friend and having the friend hand you his gun. If you don't have a FOID, you're breaking Illinois law if you take it. I shake my head every time I talk to them about the hoops they must jump through regarding firearms ownership.

Registration in its simplest form. I wouldn't be surprised if the state made that list of "FOIDs" public knowledge on top of that. All I can say is Im thankful for living in Texas

[bdickens]

Why not? All the thugs do.

Easy for you to say when you're not the one having to pay the piper. I get the whole "shall not be infringed" & the "I'll quit carrying when they make murder & robbery illegal" attitudes. But the OP was asking a serious question about going into one of the most gun-unfriendly states in the country. And to make matters worse, it's not only state laws that the OP needs to be concerned with. Each municipality is free to construct their own firearms regulation/prohibitions at will & without regard to what their neighboring communities have in place. IL is literally a legal minefield where firearms are concerned. Advising someone to disregard the laws on the basis that criminals do doesn't do anyone any good.

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[x007x]

Thank you everyone!

[C-dub]

In Illinois, you must have a FOID to even simply possess a gun. This includes going to a range with a friend and having the friend hand you his gun. If you don't have a FOID, you're breaking Illinois law if you take it. I shake my head every time I talk to them about the hoops they must jump through regarding firearms ownership.

Registration in its simplest form. I wouldn't be surprised if the state made that list of "FOIDs" public knowledge on top of that. All I can say is Im thankful for living in Texas

An FOID card isn't really registration of anything. Anyone legally able to own a firearm can get one in IL. That does not mean you have to own or use a gun. However, what I don't know is that if once a person with an FOID card does buy a gun if that gun has to be registered with the state like other places.

I think it is a pain, but depending on some of the details, it might not be as bad as it seems. Like a CHL it might make purchasing a gun go smoother.

[TexasCajun]

It's my understanding that the FOID ties all ammo & firearm purchases to the card holder. So they have registration by default. And I seriously doubt that the IL legislature would make obtaining firearms easier. So equating the FOID to CHL would be incorrect. The requirement of the card actually adds a level of bureaucracy to the process.

[C-dub]

It's my understanding that the FOID ties all ammo & firearm purchases to the card holder. So they have registration by default. And I seriously doubt that the IL legislature would make obtaining firearms easier. So equating the FOID to CHL would be incorrect. The requirement of the card actually adds a level of bureaucracy to the process.

It might. I don''t know any of the details. Several of my wife's family lives up there and have FOIDs, but we've never discussed them other their mentioning they have them.

[jimlongley]

It's my understanding that the FOID ties all ammo & firearm purchases to the card holder. So they have registration by default. And I seriously doubt that the IL legislature would make obtaining firearms easier. So equating the FOID to CHL would be incorrect. The requirement of the card actually adds a level of bureaucracy to the process.

Not true, or at least not when I lived in IL and had a FOID. You had to show your FOID to make a firearm purchase, and fill out a 4473, and back then there was a three day waiting period, but just as with the 4473, there was no mechanism to report what you purchased beyond store records. There was a record of a purchase, I am sure, because the FOID check was surely recorded, but nt what you purchased.

Of course in IL, the FOID rules are made by the Attorney General and State Police, so that may have changed considering Madigan's policies, and I left IL in 1998/9 (New Year to be exact) and although I am a Life Member of the ISRA and keep up with the politics, I haven't kept track of all the rules changes. The IL State Police did an "Administrative Cancellation" (read revocation) of my FOID when I tried to have the address changed to TX, but insisted that it was not a revocation and although they did not have a rule against out of state FOID, they did not have any provision FOR out of state FOID, so therefore I couldn't have one. If I came back to shoot in a match or hunt, I could apply for a new temporary one (which there is also no rule for) and wait the month or so to get it, and then have it summarily revoked as soon as I left the state.

The ironic thing is that all the time I lived in NY State, although I was qualified to teach the pistol permit course, I never had one due to the political nightmare involved in getting one. When I arrived in IL, I obtained a FOID, which made all of my long guns legal in IL, and my previously questionably possessed handgun as well as allowing me to purchase handguns at (more or less) will.

[TexasCajun]

I could be thinking of another state's FOID.

[ErnieP]

I have family around the Springfield area and whenever we drive I take at least one gun with me to shoot on their farm. Now, I don't recommend it, but I'm not to thrilled about the idea of driving through St. Louis unarmed, so I disarm ASAP after getting through St.L, which happens to also be after crossing the MO/IL border. Since my wife is with me, I usually drop the mag and eject the round in the chamber and then let her put it away in its case and secure everything while we're driving either on the bridge over the river or shortly afterward if there is too much traffic on the bridge. It's not the best option and like I said, I wouldn't recommend it, but that's what I do. I also obey all the traffic laws and have never been stopped by LE in IL for it to become an issue.

Until changed, in Illinois you have to have a FOID ....Firearms Owners Identification Card...., so you could still have issues. Question used to be O'Hare, where you didn't want to retrieve luggage with firearm. Still better be safe until Court fixes this travesty.

[bauer]

In Illinois, you must have a FOID to even simply possess a gun. This includes going to a range with a friend and having the friend hand you his gun. If you don't have a FOID, you're breaking Illinois law if you take it. I shake my head every time I talk to them about the hoops they must jump through regarding firearms ownership.

Registration in its simplest form. I wouldn't be surprised if the state made that list of "FOIDs" public knowledge on top of that. All I can say is Im thankful for living in Texas

An FOID card isn't really registration of anything. Anyone legally able to own a firearm can get one in IL. That does not mean you have to own or use a gun. However, what I don't know is that if once a person with an FOID card does buy a gun if that gun has to be registered with the state like other places.

I think it is a pain, but depending on some of the details, it might not be as bad as it seems. Like a CHL it might make purchasing a gun go smoother.

Honestly, I haven't researched into IL FOID's but the simple fact that you have to have one in order to even purchase a gun too me equates to registration. You may not be registering a specific gun or purchase but if the state ever tried to round up firearms from private owners they have a ready made list of every legal gun owner. Granted, just because you have a FOID doesn't automatically mean you have a gun but you can't have a gun without a FOID. That makes it registration at the state level.