Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

1
I've been wanting to join for a while. I lurk on Reddit in /liberalgunowners.

I currently live in Chicago (the city, not the suburbs). I've grown up with guns for nearly 20 years (Minnesota, grouse and deer hunting with my grandfather) and then in my 20s and 30s got away from it. In the mid 90s I worked on personal protection detail for a famous person. We all carried Sigs and I got the taste again, albeit for a short period of time. Flash forward to a wife, a daughter and our own little place in the city.

Needless to say, things have been a bit crazy here. I felt the urge again to at least get something to protect my family/home should the unthinkable occur.

One of the things I will always remember from my mid 90s conceal carry days is that sick feeling in my gut. The feeling that I was carrying on my side, the ability to end someone's life. It was really during that time where I learned how to not insert myself in situations, while off duty, where I'd be forced to use my weapon. If anything, my training taught me how NOT to be the agitator but rather a de-escalator.

I do not currently conceal carry. My weapons are for home and the occasional jaunt to the only local range 1-2 times a month.

Currently own a Smith M&P 2.0 and a Walther PDP.

Thanks for having me!

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

10
chgowiz wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 8:25 am Hello from the far northern burbs (roughly Gurnee area)! I'm also a lurker on r/liberalgunowners although I feel like the proverbial FUDD in that I don't share daily pics of what I own or build...
Current environment less sharing is probably better. Still nice to see a few pics now and then. LoL.
Image
Image

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

11
wings wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:32 pm o/

Look, when it gets to the point where I have to be the first person to ask for gun pics, you lot are slacking.

Wholehearted concurrence otherwise.
Right? I'm really interested in the Walther PDP that person mentioned. Don't need pics though.

I do like scrolling the forum over there to see all the cool guns people buy. Lots of pics. Also seems like very younger generations of peoples.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,”

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

12
Howdy from CA.
I lived in Chicago for a while back in the early 2000's when I was in my early 20's... I slung coffee for the corporate overlords at the Strbcks on Ashland and Altgeld while trying to be a musician. I never carried so much as a knife on me back then, and would take walks down to Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Logan Park in the middle of the night. Seems kind of crazy now, in retrospect. I knew guys who carried daily, but they were mostly ex cops or ex gang members.
I loved that city... is it difficult to be a gun owner there? I thought there were handgun bans or something in the city proper...
Crow
Minute Of Average

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

15
Crow wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 11:21 am Howdy from CA.
I lived in Chicago for a while back in the early 2000's when I was in my early 20's... I slung coffee for the corporate overlords at the Strbcks on Ashland and Altgeld while trying to be a musician. I never carried so much as a knife on me back then, and would take walks down to Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Logan Park in the middle of the night. Seems kind of crazy now, in retrospect. I knew guys who carried daily, but they were mostly ex cops or ex gang members.
I loved that city... is it difficult to be a gun owner there? I thought there were handgun bans or something in the city proper...
Crow
I'm not far from Farragut and Western. That walk you made, I wouldn't try it right now.

A few highlights re: being a liberal gun owner in Chicago:
- CCL is not that hard to get (16 hours of training and the state fees aside) but the waiting period is pretty long now due to backlogs (both my neighbors CC 24/7)
- Ammo is a hop. skip and jump away in Lincolnwood. No company will ship so online ammo is no-go.
- There are some seemingly arbitrary rules that pop up from time to time. I couldn't get Walther to ship my replacement mags followers in a Chicago zip code.
- I can't buy a red dot on Amazon unless I have it shipped outside of Cook county.
- Anything above a 15 rd mag is supposed to be illegal but State law prevents it from being enforced.

Just some of the weirdness. I know other states have it harder so I'm not complaining. If anything, I thought it would be harder to be a gun owner in 21st century Chicago!

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

16
Welcome from a fellow Chicago member. I recommend familiarizing yourself with especially these Illinois statutes:
720 ILCS 5/7-1 - Use of Force in Defense of Person
720 ILCS 5/7-2 - Use of Force in Defense of Dwelling
720 ILCS 5/7-3 - Use of Force in Defense of Other Property

Stay safe and good luck!
Illinois Concealed Carry Firearms Instructor | NRA Certified Pistol & CCW Instructor | Firearms Legal Consultant & Expert Witness | Illinois Licensed Private Security Officer

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

17
A foregoing post about magazine capacity is incorrect. Chicago has a max capacity of 15 rounds; Cook County has a max capacity of 10 rounds. Neither the IL FOID Act nor IL Concealed Carry Act preemption clauses supersede the city and county ordinances. Chances are you wouldn't be caught, arrested or prosecuted with "high capacity magazines," but the Cook County penalty could be up to six months incarceration and a $10k fine.

Also contrary to a prior post, a number of online ammo dealers (incl. TargetSportsUSA) will ship to Chicago. To comply with IL law, you're required to submit a copy of your FOID card and Driver's License to the seller.
Illinois Concealed Carry Firearms Instructor | NRA Certified Pistol & CCW Instructor | Firearms Legal Consultant & Expert Witness | Illinois Licensed Private Security Officer

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

18
bpetrigger wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 1:59 pm A foregoing post about magazine capacity is incorrect. Chicago has a max capacity of 15 rounds; Cook County has a max capacity of 10 rounds. Neither the IL FOID Act nor IL Concealed Carry Act preemption clauses supersede the city and county ordinances. Chances are you wouldn't be caught, arrested or prosecuted with "high capacity magazines," but the Cook County penalty could be up to six months incarceration and a $10k fine.

Also contrary to a prior post, a number of online ammo dealers (incl. TargetSportsUSA) will ship to Chicago. To comply with IL law, you're required to submit a copy of your FOID card and Driver's License to the seller.
Thank you for clarifying the mag limits. Most of my info was third-hand and what I was able to cobble together online.

Re: Ammo. I've been trying to go with some of the online bulk or national outlets and usually get a message along these lines:
Captureaamo.JPG
I'm guessing because they are not wanting to deal with the local municipalities? I did try TargetSportsUSA and that indeed will allow me to buy online.

Thanks!

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

19
kevins773 wrote:
bpetrigger wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 1:59 pm A foregoing post about magazine capacity is incorrect. Chicago has a max capacity of 15 rounds; Cook County has a max capacity of 10 rounds. Neither the IL FOID Act nor IL Concealed Carry Act preemption clauses supersede the city and county ordinances. Chances are you wouldn't be caught, arrested or prosecuted with "high capacity magazines," but the Cook County penalty could be up to six months incarceration and a $10k fine.

Also contrary to a prior post, a number of online ammo dealers (incl. TargetSportsUSA) will ship to Chicago. To comply with IL law, you're required to submit a copy of your FOID card and Driver's License to the seller.
Thank you for clarifying the mag limits. Most of my info was third-hand and what I was able to cobble together online.

Re: Ammo. I've been trying to go with some of the online bulk or national outlets and usually get a message along these lines:
Captureaamo.JPG
I'm guessing because they are not wanting to deal with the local municipalities? I did try TargetSportsUSA and that indeed will allow me to buy online.

Thanks!
kevins773 wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 8:18 pm
bpetrigger wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 1:59 pm A foregoing post about magazine capacity is incorrect. Chicago has a max capacity of 15 rounds; Cook County has a max capacity of 10 rounds. Neither the IL FOID Act nor IL Concealed Carry Act preemption clauses supersede the city and county ordinances. Chances are you wouldn't be caught, arrested or prosecuted with "high capacity magazines," but the Cook County penalty could be up to six months incarceration and a $10k fine.

Also contrary to a prior post, a number of online ammo dealers (incl. TargetSportsUSA) will ship to Chicago. To comply with IL law, you're required to submit a copy of your FOID card and Driver's License to the seller.
Thank you for clarifying the mag limits. Most of my info was third-hand and what I was able to cobble together online.

Re: Ammo. I've been trying to go with some of the online bulk or national outlets and usually get a message along these lines:
Captureaamo.JPG

I'm guessing because they are not wanting to deal with the local municipalities? I did try TargetSportsUSA and that indeed will allow me to buy online.

Thanks!
Many Internet gun and ammo dealers are unwilling to ship to Chicago/Cook County, mainly because of 1) obscure/confusing gun laws here, and 2) our reputation for illegal guns and gun violence. Here's a list of ammo dealers who will normally ship to Chicago-
https://illinoiscarry.com/forum/index.p ... o-chicago/

Stay safe ... especially at ranges!
Illinois Concealed Carry Firearms Instructor | NRA Certified Pistol & CCW Instructor | Firearms Legal Consultant & Expert Witness | Illinois Licensed Private Security Officer

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

20
bpetrigger wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 1:59 pm A foregoing post about magazine capacity is incorrect. Chicago has a max capacity of 15 rounds; Cook County has a max capacity of 10 rounds. Neither the IL FOID Act nor IL Concealed Carry Act preemption clauses supersede the city and county ordinances. Chances are you wouldn't be caught, arrested or prosecuted with "high capacity magazines," but the Cook County penalty could be up to six months incarceration and a $10k fine.

Also contrary to a prior post, a number of online ammo dealers (incl. TargetSportsUSA) will ship to Chicago. To comply with IL law, you're required to submit a copy of your FOID card and Driver's License to the seller.
Recent Ex-Chicagoan (and also first time poster, hello!), and I can confirm this and try to clarify the magazine limit bit based on the Illinois gun forum discussions.

TargetSports is great if you're a frequent range-goer. Get the membership, you get additional discounts, priority notifications for when ammo is in stock, and free shipping on everything. All my ammo when I lived in Chicago was delivered directly to my doorstep. They usually had the best prices and best availability for the most common calibers. +1 on the illinoiscarry list as well, that's how I found TargetSports. I think I also had some deliveries from Ammo Supply Warehouse, but they went downhill price wise and availability during ammogeddon.

Regarding the magazine capacity limit, that's was a bit of a gray area when I was in Chicago because the handgun preemption that negated all handgun regulations in Illinois (including in Cook County and Chicago proper) hasn't been tested against capacity in any legal way that I'm aware. I had 15+rd mags when I was shooting there. That said, it's typically considered by the local community to be an "add-on" offense if you're arrested for anything else and they catch you with one. The same goes for the Chicago AWB, which also hasn't been tested legally. All that said, Chicago's law will preempt Cook county, so 15 rounds is a fairly safe bet. I knew guys with CCW licenses who carried a G19 with 15rd mags. The common refrain on the forums was that Chicago doesn't typically want to prosecute on those items because of the potential to challenge them to an unfavorable Supreme Court, but that's conjecture and should be taken with a grain of salt.

There are ways around the Chicago AWB, if you're curious. One is to pay to store your featured or named rifle outside of Cook county, as there are a number of ranges that will let you rent a locker for storage. There are no ranges in Chicago proper, so you would never bring it into the city limits. The second is to go the AR/AK Pistol route. That one may be more tricky since the ATF still can't seem to figure out what a "stock" is compared to a pistol brace. But those are also likely "add-on" offenses, and were you ever to be pulled over and your car searched (which would require probable cause--which sadly is just being a POC in Chicago for many of the cops there), they would have to prove you stored the firearm in your residence and not offsite transferring to a range or other legal location. Not a fun legal challenge to go through, but also not a slam dunk. Again, in my keeping a close eye on the cases in Chicago via the forums, I never once saw anything that was strictly related to the AWB or mag capacity--everything had additional, more serious charges associated. That said, typical "I am not a lawyer" disclaimer goes here.

Now, the fun stuff! If you have not checked out Buffalo Shooting Range down by Utica, IL (1.5 to 2 hour drive from Chicago), it is THE BEST range I have ever been to. $35 to shoot all day outdoors, with everything from close-range pistol ranges to a .22 steel plinking range at 100 yards, to rifle ranges, to trap shooting, to a legit quarry where you could do full auto if you have a tax stamped weapon. Best fun I've ever had on a warm summer day, and I highly, highly recommend it. It's like a shooting theme park. Even has picnic benches and sells hotdogs for lunch. Be prepared for the typical TrumpMurika kind of advertising on their property, though the people running it are very nice and the range officers are knowledgable and kind.

Re: Hi everyone - New member from Chicago.

22
kevins773 wrote:
Crow wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 11:21 am Howdy from CA.
I lived in Chicago for a while back in the early 2000's when I was in my early 20's... I slung coffee for the corporate overlords at the Strbcks on Ashland and Altgeld while trying to be a musician. I never carried so much as a knife on me back then, and would take walks down to Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Logan Park in the middle of the night. Seems kind of crazy now, in retrospect. I knew guys who carried daily, but they were mostly ex cops or ex gang members.
I loved that city... is it difficult to be a gun owner there? I thought there were handgun bans or something in the city proper...
Crow
I'm not far from Farragut and Western. That walk you made, I wouldn't try it right now.

A few highlights re: being a liberal gun owner in Chicago:
- CCL is not that hard to get (16 hours of training and the state fees aside) but the waiting period is pretty long now due to backlogs (both my neighbors CC 24/7)
- Ammo is a hop. skip and jump away in Lincolnwood. No company will ship so online ammo is no-go.
- There are some seemingly arbitrary rules that pop up from time to time. I couldn't get Walther to ship my replacement mags followers in a Chicago zip code.
- I can't buy a red dot on Amazon unless I have it shipped outside of Cook county.
- Anything above a 15 rd mag is supposed to be illegal but State law prevents it from being enforced.

Just some of the weirdness. I know other states have it harder so I'm not complaining. If anything, I thought it would be harder to be a gun owner in 21st century Chicago!
Hi,

I live in Chicago too (West Town). I buy most of my gun related items via mail order. Target Sports for ammo and Amazon/Mid South or Midway for reloading and other gun stuff. I have to take exception to your thought that your can't buy a red dot mail order. Every red dot I've purchased had been via Amazon or Primary Arms to my Chicago address so that shouldn't be an issue.

Welcome!

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk




Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest