May move to illinois - local info request

[buy guns]

yeah chicago is dirty but its not like you are going to be eating off the ground.

and the people are rude but who wants to make friends with every person on the street?


i love chicago and think its the greatest city in the country though i would only want to live there during the summer.

 

[Edmond]

Oh yeah, 99.9% of the chicks in Lincoln Park, Chicago are hot!

 

[AZ Jeff]

I used to live in Illinois (until 4 years ago), and I worked in Libertyville. Here is what I will tell you about the potential impact to your lifestyle (aside from the FOID issue mentioned by previous posters):

1. Libertyville is located in Lake County, which is a "collar county" surrounding Cook Co. and the city of Chicago. As such, it suffers from certain impacts related to Chicago and it's influences. As a collar county resident, you will pay higher sales taxes and higher gasoline taxes than in any other county in the state except Cook.
2. Real estate prices and taxes are VERY HIGH in Lake County. In fact, the average home price in Lake County is the HIGHEST in the state.
3. MANY collar county municipalities suffer from some of the same mindset as Cook County. That means they have various types of restrictions on firearms ownership on the municipal level. (There is NO PREEMPTION in Illinois, so local governing bodies can legislate restrictions on guns that are more severe than at the state level.) BE CAREFUL where you choose to live. There are a few towns in Cook County besides Chicago, but since the County can pass it's own regulations, you can be subject to rules almost the same as those in Chicago proper. For example, it is unlawful to own or possess an "assault weapon in Cook County, as well as in Chicago.
4. There are VERY FEW places to shoot in the Chicago metro area. You must drive a considerable distance to play with your "toys". The nearest outdoor range to Libertyville will be over the Wisconsin border near the town of Bristol. If you want to do indoor shooting, expect to travel to DesPlaines, or to Dundee, which are both about 20 miles from Libertyville.
5. Forget any CCW in Illinois. It is probably one of the LAST states that will get it, if ever.
6. Be VERY careful about transporting your firearms in your vehicle. Follow the laws related to accessiblity carefully. Avoid certain metropolitan areas, as they WILL apply local ordnances against those traveling through.

If you grew up in Texas and Florida, you are in for a MAJOR culture shock when it comes to guns in Illinois. Gun owners there are a definite silent subculture. Are you sure you will be able to cope with that approach?

 

[Atticus]

I grew up in Southern Illinois...and have only visited Chicago a half dozen times. I would not want to live there.....even though it can be a great place to visit. My wife and I work for the same company, and the home office is located in Chicago. I have already warned her that I will NEVER move to the Chicago area for any reason, or amount of money....period......unless she agrees to live in Wisconsin - and let's me quit work to hunt and fish on a full time basis.

 

[GoRon]

I wish I could refute or disagree with the comments about the Chicagoland/Illinios anti-gun climate.

I grew up and live in Dupage county which borders Cook county. Us gun owners or at least active gun owners are a distinct minority.

The gun shops are paranoid about breaking laws on the books and come off as "Nazi's".

No head shots, no actual pictures as targets, no rapid fire, no double taps, no lead reloads, clean fire ammo only, no targets closer than 20 feet and on and on. These aren't all laws and don't apply to all indoor ranges. But all are representitive of rules at ranges I go to.

Libertyville is a very nice place, very suburban with access to every kind of store you could imagine. No crime to speak of, easy access to the tollway. Chicagoland is filled with busy stressed out people like any big city and surounding areas. Plenty of nice friendly people also.

Bass Pro Shop in Gurnee Mill Mall has an indoor range, it isn't too far from Libertyville. Haven't heard much about it so I can't tell you about it's climate or rules.

Good luck to ya!

 

[tiberius]

They're flying me up there next week for a look-see so I'll keep ya'll posted. The comments are pretty much what I expected.

 

[Jeff White]

I live 278 miles due South of Chicago on I57. There is not enough money to pay me to move to Chicago.

I will give you an example of the mindset of people in the Chicago area pertaining to firearms. Several years ago, my dept. sent me and two other officers to a class on planning high risk operations that was hosted by the Morton Grove Police Dept. I called my aunt and uncle who live in Niles (suburb of Chicago) and told them I'd be up and asked if they want to have dinner one night while I was in town. My dear aunt said; "You know that you can't carry your gun up here, especially not in Morton Grove." I told her that it would be ok, their police dept had invited officers from other police departments to come train with them and we were expected to bring our guns.

On a more positive note, we have made some headway, even having a blatant anti-gunner as governor. We just passed a law that pretty much voided all the municipal ordinances. While it's not as good as premption it does state if you use a gun to defend yourself in your home and the gun was possesed in violation of a local ordinance you can't be charged. The governor has promised to veto it, but it passed with enogh votes in both chambers to over ride.

If you have to come for economic reasons, welcome to the fight. If you need a trip to free-Illinois to do some shooting, let me know.

Jeff

 

[Tom Bri]

Funny, all the anti-Illinois comments here. Compared to where I live now it is paradise. Chicago is dirty? I remember my Japanese inlaws comments as we walked the beach front. Not even a single cigarette butt in the sand. Guns? Don't even.

 

[appy]

Libertyville is very near Wisconsin. Some of my customers that work in Waukegan - east of Libertyville on the lake- live in Wisconson and wouldn't do it any other way.

As another poster said the nearest good range is in Bristol Wis. Bristol has a Cowboy action club - 200yd rifle range - trap & skeet fields.

Traffic is heavy on I-294, east side of Libertyville, and the area has high traffic with Gurnee Mills Mall & 6 Flags amusement park.

If you like seasonal water sports & can give up the guns, both the Chain of Lakes & Lake Michigan have lots to do.

If you like horses the area has a lot of hunter/jumper barns. Western is considered low class.

As for Guns or Knives, the law enforcement attitude is to charge you with a Felony for any possible reason.

My advice on the new job - come, stay 2 years and move to something better.

 

[Kurt S.]

I am breaking my rule of silence and coming clean- I was born and went to school in a south Chicago suburb. I left there in 1967 and have only been back twice, once for my grandparents 50th anniversary and once to see my stepson graduate from Navy boot camp.

I would never consider living in Illinois again, EVEN IF I were completely uninterested in guns and RKBA. I will not visit there unless absolutely necessary. I will drive out of my way to avoid the state.

I apologize to those good folks on this board who live in Illinois that I may have offended.

 

[buy guns]

what suburb did you live in?

 

[iamkris]

tiberius

I live in Libertyville...have since 1996. It is a "cute" suburb....great schools, quaint town, great neighborhoods...one of the few that haven't been overrun with subdivisions in the suburbs. It has a downtown that the city fathers have worked hard to keep to its historic roots. I live in the historic district surrounding the downtown area in a 100 year old farmhouse. Nice place to raise kids.

Thing is...as a gun owner, you'll be an outcast. I know a few guys on my block that duck hunt but as a serious gun collector and compeititive shooter I'm considered to be just this side of a wacko.

Soccer moms and pristine Ford Expeditions rule the landscape. Anti-gun sentiments spill over from downtown Chicago freely.

If your life revolves around your gun freedoms...this isn't the place to be. I will live here for the near future but it won't be because this is a gun friendly place...it isn't. It is a nice place, however. Happy to show you around if you choose to...feel free to PM me.

 

[X-out]

Kurt S.: "I apologize to those good folks on this board who live in Illinois that I may have offended."

Kurt, one can't survive long as a resident in this People's Republic with a thin skin -- our own governor insults us! Of course, no offense taken.

 

[tiberius]

Well, I did it….I’m semi-settled up here. I’ve already touched bases with iamkris….we actually work in the same building. I have a good friend up here and we’ve done a little shotgunning…I’ve even have one of my direct reports – a lifelong Chicago city boy – asking to come along shooting….so I’m off to a decent start.

Any other Chicagoland Highroaders out there that would like to get together for some shooting? I’ll be the one in the white 4X4 pickup with Texas plates

I’ll post to the gathering forum as well….but thought I’d update this thread first.

Oh yeah….Man the weather has been awesome so far….I know winter is coming, but I am NOT missing the Texas summer.

 

[buy guns]

you'll miss that summer heat when the negative wind chills come around.

 

[geekWithA.45]

Do not underestimate the corrosive effect of being held in contempt has on you.

I was born in and most lived in free states until I moved (somewhat obliviously, and for good reasons at the time) into New Jersey.

Sure, I had some vague notion that "they had a lot of gun control", and pretty much dismissed its effect, and grossly underestimated how bad it could be.

After all, I asked myself, "how bad can it be?"

16 years later, I took fierce and honest inventory of how living under a malignant spirit of oppression and instutionalized contempt had affected me, and the answer was profoundly disturbing.

Disturbing enough to get a new job, sell my house, pack up the family, and run like hell.

You see, it's not so much what "they" can do to you, it's the little compromises that you do to YOURSELF to make it OK to continue living as you are.

You see, the devil will never appear in a flash of light and a puff of smokey sulphur, offering you the grandaddy deal in exchange for your soul. It doesn't work that way. You sell your soul off one little slice at a time:

-Oh, high taxes are OK, I guess. After all, the shore's right down thataway.
-FID? Sigh. Well, whatever. I've got things to do.
-Generally unsocial folks? Er...well, I know a few that aren't.
-Oppressive regulations on every damn thing in sight? Well, as the russian peasants say, after enough time, you can get used to anything, even being hanged.
-Suicidal voters? Hmph...what's wrong with these people?

and on and on and on, until one day you wake up and realize that IT IS NOT OK.

It is NOT OK for your government to presume your incompetence, irresponsibility, and innability to manage your own affairs.

It is NOT OK for you to live among folks that you only pretend you have something in common with.

It is NOT OK to keep living under circumstances that offend you so deeply.


The thing to realize is that it's not ~~just~~ guns. Gun rights are not a cause, they are a symptom of a much deeper issue that seeps into all other aspects of life.

May you have the wisdom to see the path that is right for you and yours. As for me, it wasn't working.

 

[44Brent]

I live in Illinois

I moved to Illinois from Texas after receiving a job offer in 2002. I had previously been laid off twice in Texas after the computer and telecomm industries tanked.

Illinois has the worst gun laws in the country. For example, did you know that your car can be seized and impounded if you are caught transporting a BB gun through Aurora?

I will be out of here when the job market improves.

 

[mrapathy2000]

Illinois has the worst gun laws in the country.

ummm I beg to differ. dont get me wrong not standing up for Illinois Gun Laws I know they suck. I totally disagree with felony charge for firearm ie Unlawfull use of Firearm BS. FOID is a waste. Illinois Firearm Owner tax basicly. dont pay it get caught with gun go to jail or fined.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36542
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36995

I am not a Illinois Resident though I am a neighbor in Iowa.

Illinois is no where near as bad as some other states. Illinois needs to be kept in check.
California is worse than Illinois.

now if you would of said Illinois has the worse gun laws in the Midwest I would whole heartedly agree.

to best of my knowledge Illinois does not have its state Level Assault Weapons ban. Magazine capacity limit. own firearm import restrictions of sorts. firearm safety test at the behest of $10,000 a test requiring 3 firearms. just to name a few top of my head.

 

[44Brent]

to best of my knowledge Illinois does not have its state Level Assault Weapons ban. Magazine capacity limit. own firearm import restrictions of sorts. firearm safety test at the behest of $10,000 a test requiring 3 firearms. just to name a few top of my head.

Every municipality in Illinois has full legal authority to pass any kind of laws they want, and that's where the worse laws are located. I have been researching the local ordinances, and just about every kind of goofy thing that you dream up is in there, including the stuff you just quoted -- plus things like vehicle seizure for possession of a laser sighting accessory.

 

[Edmond]

Cook County is probably the worst. From what I've been told; once you get south of I80, it's a totally different attitude towards firearms.

 

[calvinike]

Tiberius,

I have lived just East of Libertyville for 7 years now, transferred from AZ. The gun laws and attitudes, are 180 degrees from what I was used to. Despite that my collection has grown by more than 100%, with a lot of those being EBR's. The indoor ranges in Lake Co. are pretty much limited to Bass Pro, in Gurnee and the Outdoorsman in Winthrop Harbor. BP is very P.C. but the Outdoosman sells Bin Laden Targets. The only good outdoor range is in Bristol, WI. but they are pretty PC, single fire only for centerfire rifles and no sillohoute type targets.

If you like your job, remember, it's more expensive in MD, NJ, NY, CA, MA and the gun laws are even worse.

PM me if you want to get together.

Welcome.

 

[lostone1413]

LOL You moved the wrong way I moved from Illinois to AZ.Wouldn't tratde my house here for the whole state of Illinois. When in Illinois I lived in Will County

 

[iamkris]

tiberius

Good to meet you the other day when I stopped by your desk. I also have one of my direct reports -- a downtown city boy -- ask to come shooting. Also one of the product managers for Asia (a Brit) wants to get into shooting.

calvinike -- good to know you're around. We'll have to get together.

Guys -- yes, Illinois sucks (especially Northern IL) when it comes to guns but we'll just have to create a little movement up here with the guys listed above.

tiberius -- looking forward to getting together. As I said, my son's Cub Scout Pack leader wants to get into rifle shooting...I've already promised him that he can shoot my AR and FAL. We'll have to get an outing put together.

I say we start a No IL High Roaders group...or maybe a shooting club for the company...hey, they hoave one out in AZ, why not in IL?

 

[tiberius]

IAMKRIS, Hey...I just got home and saw these messages....FYI we're gonna do a little shotgunning up at Bristol tomorrow in the early afternoon if you're interested. I'll PM you my cell #.

My buddy just moved back here from Italy so he's itching to shoot his AR...I should be finished with my AR by 9/14...and am ready to shoot my M1-A and maybe my Garand anytime....but not at Bristol with their restrictive rifle rules....We need to find a place that allows FMJ and more than one round in the mag...and preferably not restricted to the bench....that "quarry" setup up you mentioned sounds pretty good.....We're also intersted in action pistol so maybe the urban cowboy or action pistol at Bristol would make for a fun get together.


calvinike,

Same above applies...I'll PM you.