Traveling to NY City or Chicago

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I live and work in downtown Chicago. I walk past the tourist sites you are likely to visit nearly every day.

Staying safe here has a lot more to do with software than hardware.
 
Some of the advice here is rediculous. Just deal with the fact that you cannot have a pistol.

For those of you who refuse to go because you cannot have a pistol, do you ever go to the courthouse? Or any place where you are not legally allowed to CCW? If so how ever did you get out? I mean your taking a huge risk so is it worth it?

Just go and have a good time.
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Its rediculous. Nobody gets attacked in New York or Chicago. They're like really big courthouses. All the cities are so safe that nobody needs to have a concealed weapons permit in them. Just carry when you know you're going to be attacked. It won't happen in New York, Chicago, or other big cities. That's why it's good that they don't have concealed weapons permits for ordinary people. More cities need to do away with them. Nobody needs them. Its rediculous. Go have fun.
 
taurusowner said:
I know neither NY or IL honor Michigan CCWs, and that NY City and Chicago probably are even worse than the rest of their respective states. Is there anything I can do legally to carry while on vacation in either of these cities?
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No.
 
the problem

is that not everyone can use a knife in a fight, especially in the kind of attacks
I've witnessed in NY.
Often it's not one opponent it's 4 to 10 or more and having grown up
in NY I can guarantee that by the time your old enough to attack random people for no reason, that you know how to fight.

I hate that people are told to use a knife, pepperspray or fist.

A celebrated shooting in NY recently a little old lady in a wheelchair used her gun in self defense.

that is really her only option.

I am from NYC, and no, it is not safe.
It is a large city with lots of people so the odds are in your favor but if you do get selected for victimization, it is going to hurt.
 
Originally posted by Robert Hairless:
Its rediculous. Nobody gets attacked in New York or Chicago. They're like really big courthouses. All the cities are so safe that nobody needs to have a concealed weapons permit in them. Just carry when you know you're going to be attacked. It won't happen in New York, Chicago, or other big cities. That's why it's good that they don't have concealed weapons permits for ordinary people. More cities need to do away with them. Nobody needs them. Its rediculous. Go have fun.
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Take a breath.

Having a gun does not mean you wont be a victim of crime. You have to realize that it is not a magical talisman and that you are human. The way you make it sound as if setting foot in Chicago or NYC without a gun means your gonna get robbed and strung up by roving gangs of rapists and thieves. I am sorry that you cannot walk out the door without that fear but the rest of us live in reality.

Are you overweight? Do you smoke? Drive a car? Ever have a drink with an alcohol content? These are more likely to kill you than a criminal yet I dont believe I have seen you warning others about these dangers.
 
I have been to Chicago and NYC. Will never go back. Both were disappointing. To many people, traffic, trash, smell, expensive and tiring. No guns allowed. Take her just hope she does not like it. I have never been as scared for my life as I was riding the train back to Hoboken NJ at midnight. The was a dead man in the street with the cops all around. Will not make that mistake again.:what:
 
NYC would be a lot nicer if there weren't so many people. Avoid the side streets at night and you should be fine. Bring some mace and a pocket knife
 
As far as pocket knives go... again bad idea. NYS and NYC have different regulations as to what is considered legal as far as knife carry goes. Honestly, have any of you people ever BEEN to or LIVED IN a major city? I'd like to see you testify before a court on that one. "I was defending myself, so I unfolded my knife and began stabbing". Good luck. I'm all for self defense, but lets be smart about this.

Edit: MACE is ILLEGAL in NYS. Pepper spray no, actual MACE brand IS.
 
In Chicago the weapon could probably be broken down and unloaded in the trunk of the car for the duration of your stay. It can't leave to, say, spend the night in the hotel room with you
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I am not sure if that would work for the gun or not. I am not a laywer.

However it would definetly not work for the ammo.

It is illegal in Chicago to posses any ammo unless you have a gun registered that uses that type of ammo.

NukemJim
 
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Pocket knives are forbidden completely in some areas... They won't let you on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island with any type of pocket knife, including the tiny swiss army knife that has the 1" blade. It is totally absurd, and ironic, that vistors today can't carry pocket knives considering that knives were not forbidden during the time of immigration through Ellis Island.

Also, I think the "don't go, you will be raped and killed" crowd are pretty paranoid. You definitely need to use common sense, stay out of bad areas, stay alert,etc, but I would not cancel a trip to one of the greatest cities in the world just because I could not carry a gun.
 
Are you overweight? Do you smoke? Drive a car? Ever have a drink with an alcohol content? These are more likely to kill you than a criminal yet I dont believe I have seen you warning others about these dangers.
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I find it VERY interesting that you cannot distinguish between VOLUNTARY activities in which one might engage, and VIOLENT FELONIES committed AGAINST you.

It almost seems formulaic that those who live in Illinois will attempt to minimize or excuse the chaos and oppression which reigns there, especially in Chicago. At times it's so bizarre that it reminds me of the pre-911 interview with a Taliban spokesman on National Public Radio. Asked about oppression of women in Afghanistan under the Taliban, he replied: "Well at least women in Afghanistan don't have to dance naked in Las Vegas!" If your only possible response to a pertinent question is a nonsequitor, you really don't HAVE a response and shouldn't bother. Smoking and driving have as much relevance to robbery, rape, murder and self-defense against them as strippers do to whether women should have to wear burqas.

Any community in which the only defense against violent attack is statistical chance, is of a moral kind with Afghanistan under the Taliban.
 
Yes it sucks big-time that you cannot legally carry in New York City or in Chicago. Yes it sucks big-time that you cannot carry in, oh did I say that already. Of course it sucks, but why is that a major reason not to visit such a city? I guess because your life may depend upon whether or not you can defend yourself, and that is a darned good reason. Now you also should consider the chances of you becoming a victim at all, the chances of becoming one while unarmed, the chances of becoming one while armed with a gun, the chances of becoming one while armed with pepper spray, the chances of becoming one while armed with... You get the idea. If the odds are not all that different, then maybe you will decide on a visit. That of course, is up to you and the girlfriend.

If you do decide to visit New York City, please send me an email or PM, and I will try to give you a list of some decent places to see, nice restaurants at which to stop (based upon your likes and budget), and some decent things to do while in NYC. I can also tell you how to get pretty decent discounts on Broadway play, if you plan on going to one, let me know in advance of your trip.

Before I close I have to address some of the naysayer about this possible trip. For those of you who say that this couple should not go because of firearms restrictions, I wonder have you ever visited Mexico, Canada, or any country overseas? Have you gone to England, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Russia, France, or Germany? Have you been to Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, wherever? Have you been to Asia to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, India, or anywhere? I mean on vacation or business, not while at war. Did you bring a firearm that you legally could carry concealed while walking the streets of the cities of those countries? If not then how is it that you took the chance?

Do any of you fly on commercial aircraft? Do you carry concealed then? Another potentially dangerous situation.

Have any of you been into a mall, within the past couple of weeks, that prohibits firearms, and where you honored that restriction?

All the countries I mentioned, and the situations mentioned are all potentially dangerous to you in that you may be attacked. Heck it is pretty common in Europe and Africa. Now while these are all potentially dangerous places to visit, yet I am willing to bet that even some from THR have visited some of them - without guns; but here you harangue someone for wanting to go to either NYC or Chicago.

So tell me, is it your prejudice against NY and Chicago speaking here, or is it something you absolutely live by, that you are too afraid to go anywhere without a gun. Me I am pretty scared of everything, and I want a pistol with me whenever I can have it, but not being able to have one at certain times does not make me stop enjoying what life has to offer. I visted canada with my son last sumer. I have been to Europe twice. I have gone to Mexico many times more. It would be better if we could carry anywhere, but in today's world, as it stands right now, that is not the case. Instead of putting all this effort into trying to persuade one of our own not to go to NYC or Chicago, why not put it into writing to your elected officials letting them know we need to be able to improve our gun laws.

All the best,
Glenn B
 
Instead of putting all this effort into trying to persuade one of our own not to go to NYC or Chicago, why not put it into writing to your elected officials letting them know we need to be able to improve our gun laws.
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So, do you have any suggestions as to what I should say to Mayors Daley and Bloomberg?

I'm from Chicago. I lived my entire life there until I went to college and joined the Army, then lived there for a couple of more years after I got out of the Army. There's nothing you can tell me about Chicago which I don't already know. I'm pretty sure that I've not only visited, but lived in some places that would give you nightmares. Were I to live there now, I could expect no protection from the police, nor would I be allowed to protect myself.

When I go to Chicago, I go to visit my mother. Fortunately, she's moved out of Chicago to one of the suburbs. Unfortunately, she's still in Cook County. When I visit any of my other relatives, I go places where not only would I prefer to carry a gun, I'd prefer to carry a Thompson submachinegun. Instead, I am totally defenseless apart from my utter refusal to trust in the better nature of robbers, rapists and murderers, and a determination to take one of them with me if it should come to that.

Chicago is run as a game preserve for people. Daley is the park administrator. The Chicago PD are the game wardens. Neither of them gets too worked up if the "lions" take a few "antelope" on a regular basis. It's just a cost of doing business for them. On the other hand, the idea of the antelope growing fangs and claws and eviscerating the attacking lions fills them with an unspeakable dread, for after all if the antelope start killing the lions, how will the wardens keep them on the preserve at all?
 
Chicago has a 2" blade length limit.
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Actually, counselor, per Ch. 8-24-020 of the municipal code, it's 2.5". ;) My Spyderco Dodo just squeaks in.

Incidentally, I find the notion that one is "totally defenseless" without a firearm in his immediate possession to be a bit short-sighted (this is coming from a guy who has logged a couple hundred hours of formal firearms training classes).

As I said before, one's personal safety has a hell of a lot more to do with the software skillsets he's cultivated than the emergency equipment he happens to have on hand. If you haven't already got the software squared away, focusing on equipment is a bit misguided, IMHO. :)
 
Well to answer the person above. I do not travel to places where I am disarmed. I have but I was young and stupid. I was in Grenada for 6 weeks while the Cuban and Russians were walking and driving around with machine guns. I got a machete and had it ONLY for protection. I was going to go out hacking if I had too. Like I said I have been to cities like these before but will not go again. The broadway plays were wonderful. Too bad I will not see one again. If you have lived your whole life in a place of firearm freedom you feel very out of place and a little on edge in these places so it is hard to enjoy yourself. It is nothing againist the people who live in these places it is just that I have other options. Been to Canada also but I will not discusss that visit or the one to DC. Just say I was young and nieve and knew nothing of gun laws and had NO IDEA there were actually places where I would be considered a outlaw for doing something I never actually thought could possiblily be aganist the law. I was amazed the first time I even found out there were gun laws.(this was in the mid 1990's with the Clinton Admin.) Incredilous actually. Man has the world changed for me and not for the better. Ignorance can be bliss for awhile.
 
the real reason is that police there refuse to make reports!
There is lots of crime, lots of violent crime.
it is not reported so that they can keep their stats down. Period.
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You are right.
However NYC is still very safe.
Can't really under report a murder can you...there's either a body or not.
Murder rates are down, violent crime is down maybe not as low as reported but it's still pretty safe. Take it from someone who lives here and has been here for 36 years.
I love guns but I'm not going to let it get in the way of enjoying other countries and cities.
You're probably more at risk driving everyday.
 
So, do you have any suggestions as to what I should say to Mayors Daley and Bloomberg?
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You do pretty good posting here, why not use that creative writing talent to send these guys letters, but make sure not to forget the governor of your state, and your elected officials in D.C. too. If you cannot think of anything to write, then just tell them you oppose such restrictive un laws, and whether or not such laws are repealed will determine your future votes.

All the best,
Glenn B
 
Ok, it sucks that you can't carry in NYC or Chicago, but cripes folks, you're not going to die the instant you set foot in that city. The cities have their bad parts. Stay in the good parts. I think you're allowed pepper spray, provided that you buy it IN the city you're visiting. Everyone breathe.
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Well said! Little girls and boys live there too, and walk to school unarmed without fear. :rolleyes:


As a native New Yorker, I recommend the following,
1) DON'T bring a gun, your chances of being a crime victim are probably less than getting caught with it.
2) Leave the mace home too, it's illegal in NYC.

New York is much safer than people make it out to be, and I've never had a problem in Chicago. Unless you make a real effort to find it, your chances of having any trouble are slim. There are some unsafe neighborhoods just like any other city, but there's not much reason for tourists to be in these neighborhoods anyway.
Best thing to do is to get a map beforehand , and figure out where you want to go, and how to get there.

With the exception of their gun laws, both cities are great, places to visit.
Have fun!
 
Have fun in Chicago

Dear Sir,
I lived in Cook County, and have family in the city- I would say that if you are streetsmart, it is not a big deal- yes, CCW would be great, but if you stick to the tourist traps and high-rent districts (i.e. the Gold Coast, etc) you will be fine- just realize that there are some huge slums right next to some very affluent areas- if you are really worried about your safety, you can stay in the suburbs and drive in every day to sightsee- which also has the virtue of being cheaper. However, I would recommend that you just stay aware, do not look like a target, and you will be fine.
 
In Chicago the weapon could probably be broken down and unloaded in the trunk of the car for the duration of your stay. It can't leave to, say, spend the night in the hotel room with you
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No, I'm afraid that won't work either. Unless you park your car in Indiana :neener:
 
Tecumsah:

Take a breath.

Having a gun does not mean you wont be a victim of crime. You have to realize that it is not a magical talisman and that you are human. The way you make it sound as if setting foot in Chicago or NYC without a gun means your gonna get robbed and strung up by roving gangs of rapists and thieves. I am sorry that you cannot walk out the door without that fear but the rest of us live in reality.

Are you overweight? Do you smoke? Drive a car? Ever have a drink with an alcohol content? These are more likely to kill you than a criminal yet I dont believe I have seen you warning others about these dangers.
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You actually argue against the need for people to have concealed weapons permits and to carry defensive handguns.

But I recall that a few months ago you were trying various ways to get a concealed weapons permit in Bloomington, Indiana, while you remained an Illinois resident and would be an out-of-state student at Indiana University.

Neither the University and Bloomington's police chief would allow it, so I think I recall that you had come up with some kind of scheme to use a friend's address as your mailing address.

I'm interested in the reality of someone who tried so hard to get a concealed carry permit for himself but tells other people that they don't need to carry. That's some reality. ;)
 
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Glenn Bartley:

Before I close I have to address some of the naysayer about this possible trip.
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Glenn, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Don't let Mayor Bloomberg get to you.
 
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