TexasCHLforum.com

So I just found out that I will heading to Ill. for a summer engineering internship. I have read that they are some gun haters as well, looks like I may not be too welcome??? But what I wanted to know is if there is anything that I can do to be able to take my baby along with me? I read about guns in the vehicle have to be unloaded, ammo separate, and out of reach, but what about the FOID card? Is there an equivalent that non-residents can obtain? TIA
Dwayne

I used to live in Illinois, but I don't know about their current laws. They're harsh. You can't even buy ammo without an FOID.

You might get some advice from the Illinois State Rifle Association: http://www.isra.org/

Where is your internship?

- JIm

Thanks seamus, its in Roxana...? I haven't even looked it up on the map yet. But what are the majority of the people there like? Is there really a need to have a gun with me? I grew up on the rice farm so if it is all farming communities around I wouldn't be too worried...? (I've never been outside of Tx )

I don't know what Roxana is like. I had never heard of it. I looked it up. It's on the east side of the Mississippi River about 10 miles from St. Louis, Missouri.

Most of Illinois, except for Chicago and its suburbs, has a low crime rate (just like the rest of the country). One other place that is bad is East St. Louis, Illinois.

I lived in Illinois for 40 years, 27 in Chicago.

- Jim

Any chance you can live across the river in Missouri? It's only a few miles and their gun laws are much more reasonable. You won't be able to carry at work either way, but living in Missouri takes the worry out of having it at home and I think a CHL is good there if you spend the weekends in St Louis (but not East St Louis if you get dragged there to expereince the seedy side of life.)

aardwolf wrote:Any chance you can live across the river in Missouri?

Good thinking.

- Jim

Having lived in St. Louis prior to moving to Texas, you have to be cautious of where you go. Roxana is semi-OK, but there are areas just north (Alton) and south of there (East St. Louis) that you REALLY need to stay out of. Roxana proper has below average violent crime rates, but above average property crime. Alton is double the nation average and East St. Louis is almost 3 times on violent crime alone. Across the river in North St. Louis is also not a good area and has a higher crime rate than East St. Louis.

Don't let that scare you though. If you have been to Houston or Dallas, they have their bad areas too. Just talk to a few folks in the office you will be working in and find out where the good places to live and bad areas are to stay out of. There are plenty within a short drive, even if the area you work in is not the best. Edwardsville is not bad and a college town and pretty close.

As for gun laws, I would really take the other posters suggestion and contact the Illinois Rifle Association about possession. You will NOT be able to carry or have it loaded in your car in Illinois. However, Missouri has reciprocity with us, has car carry, and is actually open carry state unless a city ordinance prohibits it. If you can find place to live in Missouri and commute across, it might be better, but it would mean a fairly long drive and maybe through rough areas unarmed.

Here is a good resource for looking up demographics in general http://www.bestplaces.net/.

Good luck!!

Thank you for the help guys, much appreciated! I will definately check out my options and see if Missouri is one of them.
Dwayne

While you are inside the state lines, the gun cannot be loaded. The magazine can be and the magazine can be with the gun. If the gun is in the passenger area, it has to be locked. If the gun in the trunk, then the gun does not have to be locked. You can have a loaded gun in your house, apt., or hotel/motel for protection.

Right now, there is a BIG push to get the gun laws relaxed to allow concealed carry.

http://www.illinoiscarry.com/forum/

Also, if you're a non-resident, you are not required to have a FOID.

Here's something to cheer you up, that I saw this morning...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080426/ap_ ... o_violence

And yet Mayor Daley continues to have the gall to blast the gun industry, as if that is the only reason for the ills of his city...

But, they keep electing him...

I saw the violence in Chicago is rampant! Mostly gang related stuff but ordinary people can't even fight back. They had their SWAT team on the streets last night and today to try and control the violence, all armed with M4's. Hey anti's, I guess the answer to gun violence is more guns after all!