Transiting Through Illinois

Remove the magazine and the round in the chamber, put handgun in a case and put cased gun out of sight. Then relax and enjoy the drive.

You would have to unload and separate the mags from the pistol. Put your pistol in your duffle behind the seat, and the mags in another bag behind the other seat. You'll be ok.

Forgot to add that unless you are in Cook county and some of their suburbs Illinois is generally gun friendly.

I'm not aware of any law that mandates that the ammunition and firearm be kept in separate containers.

C0untZer0 said:

I'm not aware of any law that mandates that the ammunition and firearm be kept in separate containers.

Click to expand...

There isn’t, but you never know what the local authorities may try to pull on you in the chiraq area. Most of the state police are decent (not their leadership), but the locals can be a problem.

Lol, Chiraq. That's funny.
Count Zero, you're correct. There isn't a law requiring separation. I don't think "out of reach" is required either. But they are simple things you can do to widen that fine line between legal and illegal.
FWIW, my guns and ammo are frequently in the same range bag. And when going to the outdoor range the back of the mini van is piled high with guns n' ammo.

Handgunlaw.us has some info.

Here’s a screenshot:

Illinois recognizes out of state licenses so long as the handgun remains within the vehicle.

Also, I-70 passes through the free part of the state. There is no propensity to hassle out of staters by any LE along that route.

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Documents/TransportYourFirearmLegally.pdf
go look at info from the horses mouth...IL SP!

recomend is to print it and have it accessible in case nice the IL LE might have misunderstood their blet courses!

That document is outdated.

The wildlife code was brought into alignment with the UUW and FCCA after concealed carry passed.

tkroenlein said:

Illinois recognizes out of state licenses so long as the handgun remains within the vehicle.

Also, I-70 passes through the free part of the state. There is no propensity to hassle out of staters by any LE along that route.

Click to expand...

I'm a little fuzzy as my ccw class was a few years ago...
You're saying he can keep his pistol loaded in his car while driving thru IL since he has a CCW license in his state?
I've always thought that "transport" was entirely different than " carry". The differentiation being loaded or not. The above document screen shot says "transport" .

tkroenlein said:

That document is outdated.

The wildlife code was brought into alignment with the UUW and FCCA after concealed carry passed.

Click to expand...

tks guess tho the IL SP should be notified about their outdated material on firearm transport...

milemaker13 said:

I'm a little fuzzy as my ccw class was a few years ago...
You're saying he can keep his pistol loaded in his car while driving thru IL since he has a CCW license in his state?
I've always thought that "transport" was entirely different than " carry". The differentiation being loaded or not. The above document screen shot says "transport" .

Click to expand...

Yes, out of state licenses (and otherwise authorized carriers) are recognized for the limited purpose of carrying a loaded, concealed firearm within their vehicle. The above PDF posted by Wisco is the current iteration of the law. In typical Illinois fashion, the legislature succeeded in confusing the issue by using the word "transport," but the law does call out "concealed" specifically, which means loaded in Illinois.

coswabbit said:

tks guess tho the IL SP should be notified about their outdated material on firearm transport...

Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain this has been brought up several times by at least a couple of our 2A advocacy groups.

Wisco gave it to you straight and cited the current law regarding CCW carry in IL by permitted out-of-state residents. Even if you had NO PERMIT you could have the weapon unloaded in the passenger compartment in a case with the loaded mags outside of the mag well of the weapon. IL has some (sometimes onerous) gun laws but it isn't the gun un-friendly state some people insist on making it out to be. Two caveats: the law requires that you have a permit from your state of residence to carry a loaded firearm in your vehicle. You cannot carry the weapon loaded outside of your vehicle (must be cased and unloaded). IL has no law limiting mag capacity. Chi limit is 15 but would not apply for the scenario you are describing regardless as you are traveling through and have a CCW as well. Have a safe journey!

Frank Ettin said:

"Fairly certain" isn't going to help the OP much. He needs reliable information. Absent solid information that for a non-resident traveling through the State Illinois law is less stringent than federal law or the more restrictive version of Illinois law posted, the OP would be well advised to follow the most restrictive rules.

Note federal law on the subject (18 USC 926A, emphasis added):

​

Click to expand...

Here's the law.
http://ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/043000660K40.htm

My fairly certain comment was referring to whether or not ISP has been contacted about their out dated info. (They have, and here is the current publication.)

https://maxonshooters.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Safe-Transport.pdf

You can see that some verbiage has changed, and the non-resident vehicular carry issue isn't addressed. I suppose that's because it's a 2 page FAQ, and all the particulars of the 168 page law can't be covered.

Any non resident who is legal to carry in their home state can keep their loaded firearm within their vehicle while passing through.

The OP may or may not choose to do so. There is much myth about Illinois firearm laws, and that makes many uneasy. But, the law says he can.

coswabbit said:

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Documents/TransportYourFirearmLegally.pdf
go look at info from the horses mouth...IL SP!

recomend is to print it and have it accessible in case nice the IL LE might have misunderstood their blet courses!

Click to expand...

Using DNR publications (outdated no less) to behave within the law when you're more likely to encounter state and local traffic enforcement than a game warden or park ranger seems like a less effective approach than going by the actual state statutes, which are really easy to find.

Seriously, everyone who carries a gun as permitted under state statutes should take a look at those exact statutes. Another good idea is to get the information from the state agency engaged in the permitting process, not another agency that is not primarily affected by the law.

Don't call the DOT for game laws, the DNR for gun laws, or the AG because your Big Mac was cold.

The law actually allows people who are allowed to carry in their home state to to carry inside their vehicle so if you are just passing though you are legal if it is legal in your home state.

If you decide to stop along the way and get out of your vehicle you are out of luck unless you have a non-resident permit which is not available for most people.

Personally, given the level of training cops in illinois have about this law and all the myths they seem to believe in regarding it, I would probably just lock it up in a case unloaded while in Illinois. It is not a legal requirement but might save you some hassle if you do get stopped.