Travelling to Chicago area

[bill4295m]

My son will be graduating from Navy boot camp at Great Lakes, IL in a few weeks. We are driving up for his graduation from Ohio and will be staying in Waukegan, IL for two nights.

I have read some of the advice and experiences of residents and visitors and am not confident if or how I can carry a weapon on this trip. I hold Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania concealed carry permits and realize that none of them or any other document will let me carry a concealed weapon in Illinois.

My question is whether I can unload a handgun before entering Illinois and store it, the magazines and the ammunition in separate, locked containers not accessible to the driver. I.E., can I stop at the border, unload the pistol, empty the magazine, and put them in separate containers in the trunk until I leave Illinois?

I don't like the idea of travelling unarmed but will not risk a legal issue in Chicago given that municipality's stance on firearms.

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences.

 

[Rhino]

Don't take it. You can't legally possess it in Chicago. Many localities also have restrictions that you may be unaware of as well, and state law does not preempt local law so you'd be entering a hornet's nest legally speaking. The federal Firearms Owner Protection Act covers interstate transportation of firearms but it doesn't help you until you get into court, so you'll still be arrested and go to jail in the meantime. I avoid Illinois at all costs, most especially the Chicago area. If you absolutely must go there, leave the gun at home or find a friend near the state line you can drop it off with.

 

[sig_man]

If going to Chicago, leave it home. I travel through IL from IN to STL and always have the handguns in once locked case and the ammo in another and only stop if necessary. Check out the link for the IL State Police Q&A

http://www.isp.state.il.us/docs/1-154.pdf

 

[apvbguy]

because IL is your destination your safe passage THROUGH IL is not protected by the FOPA laws, be cautious leave it home

 

[GHF]

Stay in a hotel in Wisconsin. Pleasant Prairie is less than 20 miles away, and if you go up 94, start looking over the state line. The fed rules will get you through IL.

 

[Rhino]

Stay in a hotel in Wisconsin. Pleasant Prairie is less than 20 miles away, and if you go up 94, start looking over the state line. The fed rules will get you through IL.

The fed rules only apply as an affirmative defense in court. You still have to be willing to be arrested, spend lots of money on lawyers and court fees, and have your gun confiscated to get that far. Most people aren't willing to do that.