Hello Everyone, I haven't been back here in a while and I was reading the older topics.   My fear is that the laws have changed and I maybe out of compliance.   I do drive through Chicago often for work.  So I have concerns.  I was pulled over last week and the police officer didn't care about my firearm, he was cool but still wrote me a ticket.  Still when I talk to friends they scare the hell out of me, so I thought I'd ask here first.

My first question is...are there any restrictions for conceal carry.  Does the state have control over hand guns and accessories?  Are lasers permitted, are mags capped?

Second, do I still have to present my CC card when I'm pulled over?

Any help will be appreciated.  Thank you.

As far as I know there is nothing new.  If you are a resident and your permit is still valid you are good to go.  You never had to present your ccw license unless specifically asked, no mag cap or laser restriction.

Could be an issue if you are no longer a resident of the state, IL doesn’t recognize any other states cc license. You can get a non resident permit though

*im not a lawyer, do your own due diligence blah blah etc etc.

Being a retired Police Officer I think it is beneficial to inform the Officer if you have a weapon on your person or in close proximity.    Many Officers ask if there are drugs or guns in the car when they first approach the violator.   As a retired Officer I always tell the Officer I’m a retired LEO and where my weapon is located (usually IWB at 4 O Clock).    Many Licensed concealed carriers will present their CCL license with their drivers license.    Even with out of state drivers before Illinois had CCL I can only remember arresting one person for unlawfully carrying a loaded concealed weapon.

This driver was under the influence of alcohol and had a fanny pack on the seat beside him.   I asked the driver if there were any weapons in the car and he said no.   After I told the driver how to exit the car as I was handcuffing him he said there was something he needed to tell me.   I said I know there is a gun in the fanny pack.  He asked how’d you know?   I said I’d been down that road before and not to lie to the Police.   Even though he was very intoxicated I probably wouldn’t have charged him with UUW had he not lied to me.

I’m not an expert on the current laws in regards to concealed carry license but Cops deal with people every day they  work.  Most Officers develop a skill knowing how to read people.   Most Officers can spot a felon before running a criminal history.    Unfortunately your likely to run into Officers with varying degrees of competence.   Some Cops have no business being a Police Officer as they just don’t have the required skills.   Some Cops have to much ego and some Cops are unethical.

My advise is don’t intentionally lie and don’t act like a fugitive.   I don’t recommend arguing with the Officer as you have your day in court.   I always appreciated people being respectful and I tried to be respectful in return.    If you act like a jerk your more likely to get cited just because of your attitude.   There were a couple of instances in my 35 year career where I was going to issue a warning but the violator talked themselves into a citation.

While I respect and appreciate our retired officers advice, I would personally not volunteer any information unless asked.  I completely agree with him however in regards to be respectful and don’t lie.  I have never received a ticket but I’ve been always been respectful and honest.

That was exactly what I was hoping to hear.  I was afraid things had already started sliding backwards.

Thank you so very much Gentlemen.

Restrictions?....Yes...e.g. the usual prohibited places and other things originally passed in bill.

State still has preemption over handguns but what does that mean without being tested in court?

No statewide bans or limits but some municipalities, e.g. Chicago, Cook  Co, etc, have mag restrictions, usually 10 or 15, on the books.   Chicago has a laser ban.

If asked, you do have a duty to inform carrying, otherwise no.   Many just present their CCL along with DL.   LE is going to know anyway from running plates if car is registered to you.

^ bystander is solid so rampup on this if it applies.

IANAL but I'll offer s couple thoughts ...

If you are a non-resident and feel compelled to carry, get a non-resident license.

Regardless of residency, know your geography. Driving "through Chicago" could mean Chicago proper or the suburbs. Very different considerations (most common example is likely mag caps as listed above)..

As posted by a retired LEO in this thread, some LE is shady. For this reason, you might want to consider leaving a loaded mag next to a weapon in the console. Unless you deliver pizzas in the hood,  you have enough time to unlock it and retrieve your weapon, but if asked - I believe - you are only transporting a weapon which is always legit (sans prohibited person).

This is my understanding as well. When the officer runs your plate, dispatch will inform if you have a CCL.

I could be wrong, but I believe it’s your DL that is “synced” with your ccw not your plate.  If someone else is driving your car, they won’t get flagged for carrying a firearm.

yeah, it all starts with your DL which is even where your photo comes from and address must match.   My point was you get stopped, they will run the plate and the DL of the registered plate and it will come back with FOID and/or CCL.   I have been told that some municipalities LEADS systems dont return that but Im suspicious of that unless their client system is super ancient.

As to if they run your DL as you are not registered plate owner once you have been contacted, I suspect they can link up to FOID/CCL status as well, but dont know.

If out of state then NLETs clients get the info reported back.

From personal experience, having both a valid FOID and CCL I was stopped once not to long ago and I informed the officer that I had a gun/CCL. He ran my license and it never came back that I had my CCL. He asked what state issued the CCL and I showed it to him. He was surprised that it was Illinois issued CCL and it didn't come up when he called in my license.

Doc

I do believe the advice about lasers not being illegal is incorrect, as there are several municipalities
that have laws on the books about lasers. There is a memo out to Chicago PD to seize any lasers or weapons
with lasers attached.

Also several have laws in place about magazine capacity, but these should be null and void, but have
not been tried in court.

Handgunlaw.us is the place I go to check and keep updated on the current laws, and they have a section on
magazine capacity, lasers and knife laws as well, and they update constantly.

They do a great job keeping the rest of us informed.

Of course laws change and keeping updated is highly recommended as I constantly remind my students.

Good luck and stay safe!