Illinois

Total prohibition                                                                                        Total freedom

Traveler's checklist:

        Illinois' midwestern location does not prevent its treatment of firearms from
resembling that of New York City. Gun owners face a wide assortment of laws that
are piled layer upon layer in the land of Lincoln. The effect of various state laws is
amplified by the fact that Illinois has no preemption law. Travelers to Chicago and
other major urban areas should be prepared to face a confiscatory atmosphere very
similar to Washington D.C. Even small towns are not immune from draconian gun
laws.  Villages such as Morton Grove have banned handgun possession entirely.

        From a statewide perspective, residents of Illinois are required to have a
firearms identification card before they may purchase or possess any rifle, shotgun,
handgun or ammunition.  This card is issued by the Department of State Police and
is valid for five years.  Travelers passing through Illinois may possess firearms or
ammunition without a state identification card if the weapons are unloaded and
securely cased in the trunk or storage compartment of the vehicle and the
ammunition is stowed apart from the weapons.  Loaded firearms may be possessed
by non-residents if the weapons are employed on publicly recognized target ranges,
at bonafide gun shows or in a hunting format where the individual possesses a non-
resident hunting license.  While in a vehicle, however, all firearms must be unloaded
and cased even if one possesses a state identification card.  State law prohibits the
open or concealed carry of firearms in public settings.

        Machine gun ownership is prohibited in Illinois unless one is a Class III dealer.
Travelers with Class III weapons should take special note of this aspect.  Also, Chicago
is a world unto itself.  Handgun ownership has been banned since 1982.  All other 
firearms must be registered with the Chicago police before entering the city.