FAQ - Illinois CCW

Well, it's official - for now.  Illinois joins the other 49 States in the Union and finally has a law on the books to allow normal every day citizens the means to protect themselves from evil doers abroad.  But the new bill, as with all legal bills coming out of Illinois, has so many questions and concerns for us law abiding citizens...so this is an attempt to answer a few of those questions.

Keep in mind, this is subject to change at any time - and most likely will, due to politics!

So it benefits you to stay up on these laws yourself...  The answer to each question will come straight from the bill its self - HB183 ... now...onward w/ the FAQ (in no particular order):

What will I have to do to get a permit to carry a concealed firearm?
Illinois law will require you first and foremost to obtain a FOID card.  You can click on that link to learn more about the fees and documentation required.

Once you have a FOID card, you will have to apply for a CCP (concealed carry permit).  At this time, the Illinois State Police has no official application.  As of this moment, the ISP has 180 days to create an application process, so you have some waiting to do, because you can guarantee they'll use up every last second of that 180 days.

A few points to take from Section 75 of the Bill its self (HB 183)

Applicants for a CCP will have to provide proof of completion of a firearms training course, or a combination of courses approved by the Department of at least 16 hours of training.  (We don't know all the approved courses yet, time will tell when the ISP starts listing them)  Your courses will require training in the following areas:

• Firearm Safety
• Basic principles of marksmanship
• care, cleaning, loading, and unloading of a concealable firearm
• knowledge of all state and federal laws relating to the ownership, storage, carry, and transportation of a firearm
• instruction on the appropriate and lawful interaction with law enforcement while transporting a concealed firearm

At this time, if you are active, retired, or honorably discharged member of the United States Armed Forces, you will receive 8 hours credit towards the 16 hours required training time.  The bill also allows the State Police to grant you 8 hours credit for successful completion of other courses, but those have not yet been named, as the bill states:

The Department and certified firearms instructor shall
        recognize up to 8 hours of training already completed toward
        the 16 hour training requirement under this Section if the
        training course is approved by the Department and recognized
        under the laws of another state.

 At this point - there's speculation that this would include Hunters Safety Course completion.  But, to my knowledge, that has not yet been made official, and will be up to the Illinois State Police.

The bill also states as possible other exemptions:

A person who has qualified to carry a firearm as an
        active law enforcement officer, a person certified as a
        firearms instructor by this Act or by the Illinois Law
        Enforcement Training Standards Board, or a person who has
        completed the required training and has been issued a firearm
        control card by the Department of Financial and Professional
        Regulation shall be exempt from the requirements of this
        Section.

What will I be trained on?

That's an excellent question - and luckily the bill provides a good starting point.  First and foremost, you'll be required to know the laws and tested on them.  So, while it may be seriously boring to you, it really benefits you to start asking questions and actually READING THE LAW ITS SELF now.  Don't take my word as an answer - go figure things out on your own and don't trust what other people tell you.  People can offer advice, but knowing the law will be YOUR responsibility - so don't let someone tell you the wrong thing!

The training requirements on the range will be:

Tested on a minimum of 30 rounds fired at a target from 3 different distances.

• 10 rounds from a distance of 5 yards
• 10 rounds from a distance of 7 yards
• 10 rounds from a distance of 10 yards

All must be fired at a B-27 silhouette target approved by the Department.  (click here to buy some now) and you must hit at least 70% of the rounds fired.  It's fair to say this test will almost certainly be timed (so you will need to work on accuracy and reasonable speed)

 You will automatically be disqualified if you:

• Do not follow the orders of the certified firearms instructor
• If the instructor finds that you are handling the firearm in a manner that poses danger to yourself or others
• You fail the 70% accuracy rating

At this time - I have not been able to find the waiting period to "redo" testing in the event you fail.  But it's pretty simple:  Don't fail.  You have a long time until the actual application process will begin, get training now!  





Where will I be allowed to carry a concealed firearm?

This, like so many other things, is subject to change quickly...but for the time being, HB183 specifies the following as:

Statutorily Prohibited Places:  These are places that the bill describes exclusively.  These locations will not be required to post signs to remind you...  While this is a VERY LONG LIST - it will be imperative that you memorize it completely...your future literally does depend on it...According to the bill, those locations are:

(1) Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public or private elementary or secondary school.

(2) Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a pre-school or child care facility, including any room or portion of a building under the control of a pre-school or child care facility. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the operator of a child care facility in a family home from owning or possessing a firearm in the home or license under this Act, if no child
under child care at the home is present in the home or the firearm in the home is stored in a locked container when a child under child care at the home is present in the home.

3) Any building, parking area, or portion of a building under the control of an officer of the executive or legislative branch of government, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit a licensee from carrying a concealed firearm onto the real property, bikeway, or trail in a park regulated by the Department of Natural Resources or any other designated public hunting area or building
where firearm possession is permitted as established by the Department of Natural Resources under Section 1.8 of the Wildlife Code.

(4) Any building designated for matters before a circuit court, appellate court, or the Supreme Court, or any building or portion of a building under the control of the Supreme Court.

(5) Any building or portion of a building under the control of a unit of local government.

(6) Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of an adult or juvenile detention or correctional institution, prison, or jail.

(7) Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public or private hospital or hospital affiliate, mental health facility, or nursing home.

(8) Any bus, train, or form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds, and any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public transportation facility paid for in whole or in part with public funds.

(9) Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of an establishment that serves alcohol on its premises, if more than 50% of the establishment's gross receipts within the prior 3 months is from the sale of alcohol. The owner of an establishment who knowingly fails to prohibit concealed firearms on its premises as provided in this paragraph or who knowingly makes a false  statement or record to avoid the prohibition on concealed firearms under this paragraph is subject to the penalty under subsection (c-5) of Section 10-1 of the Liquor Control Act of 1934.

(10) Any public gathering or special event conducted on property open to the public that requires the issuance of a permit from the unit of local government, provided this prohibition shall not apply to a licensee who must walk through a public gathering in order to access his or her residence, place of business, or vehicle.

(11) Any building or real property that has been issued a Special Event Retailer's license as defined in Section 1-3.17.1 of the Liquor Control Act during the time designated for the sale of alcohol by the Special Event Retailer's license, or a Special use permit license as defined in subsection (q) of Section 5-1 of the Liquor Control Act during the time designated for the sale of alcohol by the Special use permit license.

(12) Any public playground.

(13) Any public park, athletic area, or athletic facility under the control of a municipality or park district, provided nothing in this Section shall prohibit a licensee from carrying a concealed firearm while on a trail or bikeway if only a portion of the trail or bikeway includes a public park.

(14) Any real property under the control of the Cook County Forest Preserve District.

(15) Any building, classroom, laboratory, medical clinic, hospital, artistic venue, athletic venue, entertainment venue, officially recognized university-related organization property, whether owned or leased, and any real property, including parking areas, sidewalks, and common areas under the control of a public or private community college, college, or university.

(16) Any building, real property, or parking area under the control of a gaming facility licensed under the Riverboat Gambling Act or the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975, including an inter-track wagering location licensee.

(17) Any stadium, arena, or the real property or parking area under the control of a stadium, arena, or any collegiate or professional sporting event.

(18) Any building, real property, or parking area under the control of a public library.

(19) Any building, real property, or parking area under the control of an airport.

(20) Any building, real property, or parking area under the control of an amusement park.

(21) Any building, real property, or parking area under the control of a zoo or museum.

(22) Any street, driveway, parking area, property, building, or facility, owned, leased, controlled, or used by a nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development site or facility regulated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The licensee shall not under any circumstance store a firearm or ammunition in his or her vehicle or in a compartment or container within a vehicle located anywhere in or on the street, driveway, parking area, property, building, or facility described in this paragraph.

(23) Any area where firearms are prohibited under federal law.


Currently - you are allowed to carry in *ANY* privately owned establishment (unless its revenue is more than 50% alcohol).  That property owner, however, may post signs saying Concealed Carry firearms "not welcome here".  Signs must be clearly posted in order for it to be considered an offense for your to carry there...all other exceptions are listed in the 23 entries above.  Memorize them.


Anything else I need to know right now?

Lots of things - but start by reading the bill its self.  I know it's long, I know it's boring, but if you're serious about being a law abiding gun owner, you NEED to know the law that we must adhere to...ignorance of the law is no excuse to breaking it.

A few points off the top of my mind:

• Do NOT drink alcohol while carrying a firearm.  It's just like your car - don't' drink and drive...don't drink and carry.
• You are REQUIRED to immediately inform a police officer, when asked, if you are carrying a concealed firearm.
• Get training.  If you've never had formal training with a handgun, you could use it, trust me.  It's not as easy as Hollywood makes it seem.  How can you protect yourself if none of your bullets hit their mark?
• If you haven't already applied for your FOID - go do the application RIGHT NOW.  The wait times are already huge, and they're about to get longer!
• If you already have a FOID - start looking for which firearm you want to carry.  You'll find a million different people with 2 million different opinions ... it's best if you find some friends who own some handguns, and try out theirs (make sure you pay for your own ammo...that stuff is expensive!!!) or find a range that will allow you test out many different varieties of firearms so you can figure out what best suits you.
• Figure out "where am I going to carry?" in terms of on your body - and for the love of all that is holy, ladies, do not get a concealed carry purse.  You need this firearm on your body - if a crook steals your purse by surprise, you're double screwed.
• While the bill calls for "Mostly concealed" in relation to the firearm - it will still need to be completely concealed.  You can't have the butt of your gun sticking out of your waist band...while at the same time, if your reach up on a shelf to get something up high, and your shirt lifts with you, the "mostly concealed" clause will kick in and prevent you from being busted for accidentally exposing your firearm.

I'll post other major topics as they pop up - but for now, this, I hope, will answer a lot of the bigger questions.  If you have any more, please hit me up on Facebook, or leave a comment below.

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Our National Debt is no Joke

This will be short and to the point.  When you think of 15 trillion dollars, can you fathom what that actually is?  Lets see:

We've all seen the 100 dollar bill, no doubt

$100

Some of us may even have seen a stack of cash this large:  $10,000

$10,000 Dollars

But our national debt, as it sounds right now, is well over $15,000,000,000,000 (15 trillion) ... but what does that look like?

WELL!

Let's start very small...here's 1 million dollars...

One Million Dollars

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2011, the Average Per Capita personal income in the United States was $27,915 ... at this rate, it would take the average American worker 36 years of tax free income, saving every penny and never spending a single dime to accumulate the stack of cash above.


Most people swear their problems would be solved with 1 million dollars...how about yours?  No?  What about a BILLION dollars?

One Billion Dollars

NOW we're getting somewhere!!!  But more to the point - so far we're just giving you a point of reference...what does this all have to do w/ the national debt though?  Remember, well past the threshold of 15 trillion!

WELL!  Lets take a look at what ONE TRILLION DOLLARS looks like

One Trillion Dollars

This is, roughly, the amount of money that OUR GOVERNMENT borrowed in the year 2010 just to remain operational.  This is what they BORROWED after they SPENT what they ALREADY took from us!  You could spend $1,000,000 a day, every single day, since the birth of Christ, and you STILL would not come close to 1 trillion dollars.  In fact, you'd come closer to the 2008 Big Bank Bailout by Bush & later, to a much larger portion, Obama...coming in at about 700 billion.


So what about our national debt?  Finally...lets take a look:

15 Trillion Dollars

If you were to stack bills neatly, this would be a to-scale model of what that stack of cash would look like equal to our national debt.  Feeling nauseous yet?  Well, hold onto your butts, because the next image is where we're headed w/ the current leadership is allowed to continue spending like a spoiled teenager w/ the parents no limit credit card.

114.5 trillion dollars (where we are headed)

The model on the far right represents The United States unfunded liabilities, which totals $114.5 trillion dollars.  And yes, this is to scale...and is the primary reason your grandpa wasn't lying when he said "back in my day, you could buy a ______ for a nickel"

That's because our dollar has been printed into oblivion.  A Nickel, back then, was worth something, today, it actually costs more than twice the amount of money to create a nickel that the nickel its self is worth.  The more dollars there are, the less they're worth, since our dollar is not backed by any tangible goods.  Our faith keeps the dollar going... which has gotten us in a very bad place and it's only going to get worse.

A wise man would be preparing.

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The White House Responds

This is the e-mail that was sent out at 6:45 pm CST today.  (15 minutes ago)

When Discussing the Second Amendment, Keep the First in Mind Too

By Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary

Thank you for participating in We the People to speak out on an issue that matters to you.

Let’s not let arguments over the Constitution’s Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First. President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press -- fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy. Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express those disagreements vigorously, but no one should be punished by the government simply because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment -- or any other matter of public concern.

We recognize that the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, sparked an intense, and at times emotional, national conversation about the steps we can take as a country to reduce gun violence. In fact, your petition is one of many on the issue, and President Obama personally responded by sharing his views on this important issue.

In a recent press conference, President Obama also addressed the Second Amendment and the important perspective that law-abiding gun owners bring to the public conversation on this issue:

Look, like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. This country has a strong tradition of gun ownership that's been handed down from generation to generation. Obviously across the country there are regional differences. There are differences between how people feel in urban areas and rural areas. And the fact is the vast majority of gun owners in America are responsible -- they buy their guns legally and they use them safely, whether for hunting or sport shooting, collection or protection.
But you know what, I am also betting that the majority -- the vast majority -- of responsible, law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few from buying a weapon of war. I'm willing to bet that they don't think that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas -- that an unbalanced man shouldn't be able to get his hands on a military-style assault rifle so easily; that in this age of technology, we should be able to check someone's criminal records before he or she can check out at a gun show; that if we work harder to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be fewer atrocities like the one in Newtown -- or any of the lesser-known tragedies that visit small towns and big cities all across America every day.

So to that - I say - Mr. President.  Remember your words.  We are ALL for keeping firearms out of the hands of crazy, mentally ill, and criminally minded people.  Nobody wants that.  Not the NRA, not me, nobody wants a criminal with a gun.

Keep in mind that you are saying we should go after THE CRIMINALS GUNS.  And keep in mind that banning firearms does nothing more than make them easier for criminals to get.  Just take a look at your war on drugs.

Do not go back on your word Mr. President.  If you believe in my 2nd Amendment Right, then you will not try to use force of law to prevent me from exercising it.  I'll pass my background checks, and I'll pay my taxes.  I'll continue living my life the way I see best fit, within the scope of the law and the one true God.

Do not infringe upon my Rights Mr. President.  A so called "Assault Weapons Ban" does exactly that.  Let us sit down and discuss these matters, 1 on 1.  Bans do nothing but harm law abiding citizens.  Don't sell yourself short intellectually to think such a thing would have any impact on crime what so ever.

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Illinois Representative Contacts

I wanted to create this as an easy reference point for contacting any and all Illinois Government officials.  For those of you unaware, the Chicago Democrats have been on a rabid frenzy to pass an "Assault Weapons" ban, under the radar, many times in the last few months.

Their resolve is strong.  Ours cannot be matched.  But we should strengthen our efforts and concentrate them where they are needed most.  So this is a list of contact information for each representative as well as whether or not they support a gun ban.  I'll be updating this often, so please book mark it, share it, and comment if you hear anything from anyone.

I will personally verify, for myself, if a Representative supports or opposes before making an update.

If you do not know who your local representative is, you can click HERE and fill in your information.  Remember to thank the NRA for providing this service.

You can click each representatives name to get their contact information.

For the record, Illinois has 64 Democrats and 54 Republicans.  As this list grows, i'll tally up how many gun grabbers vs how many pledge to protect the 2nd.

Representative	Bills	Committees	District	Party
Dena M. Carli	Bills	Committees	1	D
Edward J. Acevedo	Bills	Committees	2	D
Luis Arroyo	Bills	Committees	3	D
Cynthia Soto	Bills	Committees	4	D
Kenneth Dunkin	Bills	Committees	5	D
Esther Golar	Bills	Committees	6	D
Cory Foster	Bills	Committees	7	D
La Shawn K. Ford	Bills	Committees	8	D
Arthur Turner	Bills	Committees	9	D
Eddie Winters	Bills	Committees	10	D
Ann Williams	Bills	Committees	11	D
Sara Feigenholtz	Bills	Committees	12	D
Greg Harris	Bills	Committees	13	D
Kelly M. Cassidy	Bills	Committees	14	D
John D'Amico	Bills	Committees	15	D
Lou Lang	Bills	Committees	16	D
Daniel Biss	Bills	Committees	17	D
Robyn Gabel	Bills	Committees	18	D
Joseph M. Lyons	Bills	Committees	19	D
Michael P. McAuliffe	Bills	Committees	20	R
Michael J. Zalewski	Bills	Committees	21	D
Michael J. Madigan	Bills	Committees	22	D
Daniel J. Burke	Bills	Committees	23	D
Elizabeth Hernandez	Bills	Committees	24	D
Barbara Flynn Currie	Bills	Committees	25	D
Kimberly du Buclet	Bills	Committees	26	D
Monique D. Davis	Bills	Committees	27	D
Robert Rita	Bills	Committees	28	D
Thaddeus Jones	Bills	Committees	29	D
William Davis	Bills	Committees	30	D
Mary E. Flowers	Bills	Committees	31	D
André M. Thapedi	Bills	Committees	32	D
Marcus C. Evans, Jr.	Bills	Committees	33	D
Elgie R. Sims, Jr.	Bills	Committees	34	D
William Cunningham	Bills	Committees	35	D
Kelly Burke	Bills	Committees	36	D
Charles W. Krezwick	Bills	Committees	37	D
Al Riley	Bills	Committees	38	D
Maria Antonia Berrios	Bills	Committees	39	D
Deborah Mell	Bills	Committees	40	D
Chris Nybo	Bills	Committees	41	R
Sandra M. Pihos	Bills	Committees	42	R
Keith Farnham	Bills	Committees	43	D
Fred Crespo	Bills	Committees	44	D
Franco Coladipietro	Bills	Committees	45	R
Dennis M. Reboletti	Bills	Committees	46	R
Patricia R. Bellock	Bills	Committees	47	R
Michael G. Connelly	Bills	Committees	48	R
Timothy L. Schmitz	Bills	Committees	49	R
Kay Hatcher	Bills	Committees	50	R
Ed Sullivan, Jr.	Bills	Committees	51	R
David McSweeney	Bills	Committees	52	R
Sidney H. Mathias	Bills	Committees	53	R
Thomas Morrison	Bills	Committees	54	R
Randy Ramey, Jr.	Bills	Committees	55	R
Michelle Mussman	Bills	Committees	56	D
Elaine Nekritz	Bills	Committees	57	D
Karen May	Bills	Committees	58	D
Carol A. Sente	Bills	Committees	59	D
Rita Mayfield	Bills	Committees	60	D
JoAnn D. Osmond - Pro 2nd Amendment	Bills	Committees	61	R
Sandy Cole	Bills	Committees	62	R
Jack D. Franks	Bills	Committees	63	D
Michael W. Tryon	Bills	Committees	64	R
Rosemary Mulligan	Bills	Committees	65	R
David Harris	Bills	Committees	66	R
Charles E. Jefferson	Bills	Committees	67	D
John M. Cabello	Bills	Committees	68	R
Joe Sosnowski	Bills	Committees	69	R
Robert W. Pritchard	Bills	Committees	70	R
Richard Morthland	Bills	Committees	71	R
Patrick J. Verschoore	Bills	Committees	72	D
David R. Leitch	Bills	Committees	73	R
Donald L. Moffitt	Bills	Committees	74	R
Pam Roth	Bills	Committees	75	R
Frank J. Mautino	Bills	Committees	76	D
Angelo Saviano	Bills	Committees	77	R
Camille Y. Lilly	Bills	Committees	78	D
Lisa M. Dugan	Bills	Committees	79	D
Anthony DeLuca - Pro 2nd Amendment	Bills	Committees	80	D
Renée Kosel	Bills	Committees	81	R
Jim Durkin	Bills	Committees	82	R
Linda Chapa LaVia	Bills	Committees	83	D
Tom Cross	Bills	Committees	84	R
Emily McAsey	Bills	Committees	85	D
Lawrence M. Walsh, Jr.	Bills	Committees	86	D
Bill Mitchell	Bills	Committees	87	R
Dan Brady	Bills	Committees	88	R
Jim Sacia	Bills	Committees	89	R
Jerry L. Mitchell	Bills	Committees	90	R
Michael Unes	Bills	Committees	91	R
Jehan A. Gordon	Bills	Committees	92	D
Jil Tracy	Bills	Committees	93	R
Norine Hammond	Bills	Committees	94	R
Mike Fortner	Bills	Committees	95	R
Darlene J. Senger	Bills	Committees	96	R
C.D. Davidsmeyer	Bills	Committees	97	R
Wayne Rosenthal	Bills	Committees	98	R
Raymond Poe	Bills	Committees	99	R
Rich Brauer	Bills	Committees	100	R
Adam Brown	Bills	Committees	101	R
Paul Evans	Bills	Committees	102	R
Naomi D. Jakobsson - GUN GRABBER!	Bills	Committees	103	D
Chad Hays - Pro 2nd Amendment	Bills	Committees	104	R
Jason Barickman	Bills	Committees	105	R
Keith P. Sommer	Bills	Committees	106	R
John D. Cavaletto	Bills	Committees	107	R
David Reis	Bills	Committees	108	R
Brad E. Halbrook	Bills	Committees	109	R
Chapin Rose - Pro 2nd Amendment	Bills	Committees	110	R
Daniel V. Beiser	Bills	Committees	111	D
Dwight Kay	Bills	Committees	112	R
Scott E. Penny	Bills	Committees	113	D
Eddie Lee Jackson, Sr.	Bills	Committees	114	D
Mike Bost	Bills	Committees	115	R
Jerry F. Costello, II	Bills	Committees	116	D
John E. Bradley	Bills	Committees	117	D
Brandon W. Phelps	Bills	Committees	118	D

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