Bringing guns into Chicago/Cook County?

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PILMAN

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I'm visiting Chicago to see some friends, they wanted to know if I can bring the guns and show them how to shoot. I lived in IL for 17 years and I know that the laws are pretty strict, grew up in Cook County. My dad even lost his guns because they removed his FOID card.

I've called a few police departments and various answers.

Chicago Police Department says "your not allowed to bring or buy guns there period!" and I asked for a citation of the law, I received a rude response saying to "Look it up!" *click*

Cook County wasn't positive on the laws for someone out of town but said to call the state police.

State police said first that you can't bring any guns into the state at all without a FOID card, then I quoted a source that stated that one may bring weapons into the state without a FOID card as long as they are not a resident of the state. The lady said if it was dismantled and locked away, I could bring it to the state without a FOID card but that Chicago had separate laws.

All in all, is there ANY legal loophole to purchase a weapon living in Chicago? How does their registration system work anyways?
 
I would not bring any handguns into Chicago as they are prohibited there.

I don't know about long guns. You should be able to find info on-line somewhere.
 
You just can't do it, bring handguns into the city I mean, and be and stay legal. If you're not worried about the legal aspect then by all means, bring 'em all. Don't take it the wrong way... Not trying to give you a hard time but Chicago has a ban on handguns, period.
Now if you are staying in a suburban home or hotel (as long as it's not Oak Park) that could work. Keep your firearms there, have friends drive to you and then you all go from there to shooting range. Do they have FOID cards? Some ranges require all shooters to have said cards...some will allow "guests" if one of the shooters has a card, even that varies by range. All in all it is best to just not do any of it.... there are a few, a very, very, very few ways it all could be done legally but there is a million ways to get busted.

I have taken tons of friends even my bosses shooting over the years and they are always amazed, for lack of a better word, on all I have to do to keep it all legal. My Brother-in-law is a Broward County sheriff's deputy who visits here often, sans firearm as it is too much of a hassle even for him. He's visited a couple of the area ranges with me before. Jumps in the car with me, off to my Aunt's home in the 'burbs, pick up guns and ammo, circumnavigate city limits for trip to the range and reverse the whole procedure when done.... funny, I have a cop riding in the car with me and I still have to worry about doing everything just right. He just shakes his head and asks when am I going to move out of here.... same question I ask myself more and more these days.

Oh and by the way... purchasing a handgun and registering it in the city is not going to happen unless you are related or work for the King himself. No registrations allowed after 1982 or whenever the ban went into effect. Long guns can't be bought in the city either, suburban shops yes, but you have to have it registered before taking possesion of it and bringing it into the city. It's a process, there are time limits for permits to be issued but that means nothing and it is all up to the discretion of the police superintendent or the King himself. I recently inherited a 12 gauge WWII trench gun from an Uncle that passed. I went through the registration process and was denied. Seems because of the model type, war time shotgun, it was deemed not suitable for any legal purposes, I kid you not.
 
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1. Don't go to Chicago AT ALL if you can avoid it.

2. Don't bring a gun to Chicago, particularly a handgun.

3. Don't bring a gun to Illinois. If you have to drive through with a gun, don't spend any money and get out fast.

4. Don't go to Illinois if you can help it.
 
Of course you can have handguns in Chicago... :what:

1. Get elected to the City Council.

2. Or the Cook County Board.

3. Or join a criminal gang.

But I'm repeating myself... :banghead: :rolleyes:
 
You can drive through Illinois with all firearms in a case and unloaded in the trunk. Don't bring a pistol into Chicago, its not worth it.

I go to Chicago a lot but never bring firearms and for the purpose of my trip have no reason to.
 
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I wouldn't go to Chicago. If someone put a gun to my head and said I HAVE to go, I wouldn't bring so much as a pair of nail clippers or an empty shell casing with me. I live in California and the legal and political climate of the place gives me the creeps.
 
You can drive through Illinois, except Chicago, with all firearms in a case and unloaded in the trunk.
Click to expand...
Federal law says you can drive through Chicago if it's in the course of interstate travel under the provisions of FOPA. They can falsely arrest you, but it'll cost them in the end.

Better just to avoid Illinois entirely.
 
Oh come on, Chicago is a great city. I've been all over it at all times of the day/night and never felt the need for a handgun... except once, but i clearly was not where i belonged... i was monitoring a demo site where they were taking down some of the infamous high rise buildings (ever see history channel's "Gangland" on chicago? That was long ago, but the landmarks are there) in the south and west side. If you stay in the Loop or better yet between the two ball parks, you'll feel pretty safe now days.

Now that I got that out I'll share the info I recieved.

My e-mail:
I will be traveling to Columbus, OH, for a wedding in September. My trip will include flying into Midway Airport then driving through Indiana. I have a valid concealed pistol license that will be honored in Indiana and Ohio, but not Illinois. I would like to remain in compliance with all state and local laws during my trip. What advice can you give me to do this? During my drive to Columbus I plan on keeping my firearm in the trunk of the vehicle locked in its case. I plan on taking a registered 4" (insert your semi auto pistol make and model here) with at least one 12 round magazine.

Thank you,

The Chicago Police:
We can only advise you as to what Chicago law requires, which is that you have your weapon in a disassembled and non-functioning state while transporting it in your vehicle.

([email protected])
Chicago Police Department

Also check with the airline if you are flying in... If its southwest here you go:
http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/guns.html

Hope that helps! Don't forget to grab some giordano's and a couple dogs at portillos!
 
" I've been all over it at all times of the day/night and never felt the need for a handgun.." You've failed to see the point of having a CCW and the training to back it up.
Unless I am failing to see your sarcasm.
 
Oh come on, Chicago is a great city.
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So's Teheran.

Driving through Chicago in interstate travel or passing through the airports, you need only comply with the applicable portions of FOPA and or TSA regs.

If you're a non-criminal gun owner, Illinois and particularly Chicago, hate you. Don't give either any money.
 
I've been all over it at all times of the day/night and never felt the need for a handgun.." You've failed to see the point of having a CCW and the training to back it up.
Click to expand...

There isn't one place or time in the City of Chicago where I have felt that I needed a gun. Never not once, and I have been in the city every Saturday on a bicycle with around 9-15 friends riding bmx ALL OVER the city, north, south, west sides.

I don't know what some of you are so scared of.
 
I don't know what some of you are so scared of.
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I'm betting that if I'm in my old neighborhood at 69th and Indiana Ave., at 10:00pm, you wouldn't be anywhere to be found, for ANY price.

There are weekends when Chicago is more dangerous than Baghdad. It's just shootings instead of bombings.

I don't go anywhere in Chicago where I DON'T wish I had a gun.
 
If that is how you honestly think then I am sorry that you are living in fear. That is crazy and unhealthy.^^
 
It seems I've started something there... sorry for that. I think we would choose the option to carry legally no matter where we go. Its just tough (and makes your brain hurt to think about) when carrying isn't legal.

Before this thread gets completely jacked, PILMAN what else were you looking for? Deanimator threw out some fed laws, I gave what (little) I got from the PD- does anyone have any personal experience? Dare I ask if there are any CPD officers out there that could set this straight in a hurry?
 
I used to live on 51st and Spaulding and I really think a lot of you are overreacting. It was a terrible area, especially as one of the only white guys around, but I never felt the need for a gun. With that said, I'm glad I'm getting out of IL just for the hassle of the gun laws.
 
I used to live on 51st and Spaulding and I really think a lot of you are overreacting. It was a terrible area, especially as one of the only white guys around, but I never felt the need for a gun. With that said, I'm glad I'm getting out of IL just for the hassle of the gun laws.
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I'm Black and lived at:

69th and Indiana
84th and Loomis
78th and Honore

There's NO place I feel comfortable there without a gun.

The paradox of Chicago is that people vocally support the handgun ban and blithely ignore it. And when they're arrested for violating the laws they support, they're baffled by the "injustice" of it all. They're the gun control version of Roy Cohn. Guns need to be banned... except THEIRS.
 
I guess you simply don't understand the reason some people choose to prepare them selves. It doesn't matter if you feel secure and never felt the need.
Things happen everywhere.
This isn't living in fear, this is living prepared to take a fight back at a criminal is needed.

I've been downtown detroit for various reasons and never felt like I needed to draw but that just means I wasn't targeted for a mugging or other random act of violence.

So from two of the posters here I assume you don't think CCW is ever needed?
 
I lived in Chicago for 3 years, and have family there. My recommendation would to be simply avoid taking any guns into Cook County, much less Chicago, at all. It is possible to do it legally, if you believe the laws that are written on paper and theoretically enforced by courts of law. However, if you grew up in Chicago you should know that's not how much of "law enforcement" works there. Not to be crass but your luck will be better if you're white, look educated and well-off, and are driving a nice car (preferably not a pickup, and definitely no confederate flags). But any traffic stop within Cook County could go bad on you for no good reason, and within Chicago it would be almost certain to go badly. It would be much better if your friends could visit you in Florida for their intro to shooting.
 
Not to be crass but your luck will be better if you're white, look educated and well-off, and are driving a nice car (preferably not a pickup, and definitely no confederate flags).
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One of my lawschool classmates from DePaul did pro-bono defense work in Chicago (one of his clients was Danny Escobedo, who brought a gun to meetings). He said at the time (the late '80s, early '90s) that it was typical for Whites found in possession of firearms, and not obviously engaged in other criminal activity, to be released with their guns, and for Blacks to be arrested and charged. The only white faces you ever saw in "gun court" were the judges and bailiffs.

"Justice" in Cook County is utterly capricious. I certainly wouldn't trust my freedom to it enough to bring a gun there. I barely trust it enough to bring MYSELF there, once a year.
 
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