Under the Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act, 430 ILCS 66/40 (b) revision 8/20/2021, Illinois may allow for non-resident license applications from any state or territory of the U.S. with laws related to firearm ownership, possession, and carrying, that are “substantially similar” to Illinois’s concealed carry licensing requirements. The Illinois State Police recognizes the CCL/CCW (or equivalent designation) of only six states (AR, ID, MS, NV, TX, and VA) as being substantially similar to Illinois’s. However, it’s extremely unlikely any those out-of-state applicants would ever be issued Illinois “CCL” licenses. Ultimately, no out-of-state firearm carry license legally allows general carry in Illinois.
Fortunately, all out-of-state carry licensees are accorded a small measure of rights here. Section 40 (e) of the IL Firearm Concealed Carry Act declares that “Nothing in this Act shall prohibit a non-resident from transporting a concealed firearm within his or her vehicle in Illinois, if the concealed firearm remains within his or her vehicle and the non-resident: (1) is not prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm under federal law; (2) is eligible to carry a firearm in public under the laws of his or her state or territory of residence, as evidenced by the possession of a concealed carry license or permit issued by his or her state of residence, if applicable.” Section 40 (e) goes on to stipulate that “If the non-resident leaves his or her vehicle unattended, he or she shall store the firearm within a locked vehicle or locked container within the vehicle in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 65 of this Act.”
Section 65 (b) of the IL Firearm Concealed Act elaborates on the firearm storage provision, i.e., “any licensee … shall be permitted to carry a concealed firearm on or about his or her person within a vehicle into the parking area and may store a firearm or ammunition concealed in a case within a locked vehicle or locked container out of plain view within the vehicle in the parking area. A licensee may carry a concealed firearm in the immediate area surrounding his or her vehicle … only for the limited purpose of storing or retrieving a firearm within the vehicle's trunk. For purposes of this subsection, "case" includes a glove compartment or console that completely encloses the concealed firearm or ammunition, the trunk of the vehicle, or a firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container.” There are two expressly forbidden exceptions to this parking area provision: 1) land, buildings, etc., under the authority of federal laws; and 2) nuclear reactor sites, buildings, land, etc.
Chicago and Illinois both have 15-round limits on pistol magazine capacity. However certain home rule units (including Cook County and several Chicago suburbs) have legally-enforceable 10-round mag capacity limitations. Such laws pertain specifically to magazine capacity rather than the number of cartridges within the magazine. While enforcement of such ordinances has been rare, the hassles and costs of prosecution could be quite substantial. Accordingly, I recommend compliance with any such local restrictions and especially within Cook County. Incidentally, no state law, county, or local ordinance limits the number of magazines a duly licensed person may have or transport.
It’s always smart to thoroughly research state, county, and local firearms and related laws - including use of force - before visiting or traveling to or in your destination.
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Information herein is provided "as is," without warranty of
any kind. Bruce Edenson, the author, does not accept any responsibility or
liability for its accuracy, timeliness, completeness, legality, or reliability.
He shall not be liable for any loss or damage of whatever nature (direct, indirect,
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copyright 2024-2025 Bruce Edenson, update 3/6/25
