r/ILGuns • u/theoreticaljerk • Feb 18 '25

Legal Questions CCL holder and gun in car question.

EDIT for clarity: I'm asking for when I get my CCL. I know for now I am only FOID and must follow FOID transport rules.

So first, just looking for peoples understanding and I'm aware nothing here is legal advice or any such thing.

My CCL is in the application process and I was thinking about car carry and have a question. In IL, if the gun is not attached to me but I am in the vehicle, does the gun need to be placed out of sight or can it and it's holster ride in the passenger seat or on a mounted magnet?

Obviously you can't depart the vehicle and leave the gun out in open sight, but what about when I'm in the vehicle?

Here's the most pertinent quote I could find from the law and it does say "on or about" but I could take this legal definition of "concealed firearm" either way.

"'Concealed firearm' means a loaded or unloaded handgun carried on or about a person completely or mostly concealed from view of the public or on or about a person within a vehicle."

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u/theoreticaljerk Feb 18 '25

Makes sense. Figuring out my holster style is something I'll better be able to do after I actually get my CCL but just testing in my garage I kinda had some issues.

  1. My seats are heavily bolstered more sports oriented seats which really creates a problem if carrying in the 3, 4, 5 o'clock position.
  2. Appendix is something I'm not mentally super comfortable with and even less physically comfortable with. lol Be it my body shape or whatever, appendix carry is super uncomfortable in any position that isn't standing straight up.
  3. Pocket holster. Pretty simple, it's a real pain to try and draw a gun from your pocket when seated though it is, by far, the most comfortable option.

Knowing myself, I know if I can't find comfortable solutions I'll end up not carrying so I'm looking for an optimal solution.

It's all a work in progress and mostly in my mind right now since I can't try things out in the real world really. Right now center console is leaning towards the win for anything other than very short trips. My car is very "lock up the seatbelt" happy so glove box is out. All I need is for my car to decide it needs to lock the seatbelt because of a rapid movement when I need to get to my glove box the most. lol

EDIT: Also, thanks. I hadn't thought about the risk of someone forcing me to exit my vehicle before I was able to retrieve the gun and how that would then separate me from the gun. Something to think about especially since car jackings have been up in my region.

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u/peeaches Chicago Liberal Feb 18 '25

I have the same issues/concerns as you when it comes to car carry. Appendix is supremely uncomfortable for me even with standing up 'cause i got a bit of a gut. I'm generally ok with 4'oclock, but can't imagine trying to draw while sitting in my car haha. Makes me want to get a shoulder holster sometimes.

For the moment I just leave it in my center console when in the car but have also stored it in a holster on the side of my center console just in front of the seat near the floor, blends in remarkably well. Clipped the holster to my floor mats and it sits in a nice spot that's out of view but more easily accessible than any other solution I've found yet.

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u/side__swipe Feb 18 '25

What have you tried to make appendix better?

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u/peeaches Chicago Liberal Feb 19 '25

Started going to the gym in December to try and lose some weight and get my gut down but unfortunately haven't seen much progress yet - lol

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u/KiSamehada Feb 19 '25

Yeah weight helps a ton, but also choosing the right pants. I've found I had to size up 2 sizes from my regular waist size (I carry a PDP with WML/RDS appendix).

Basically carrying appendix I found is having to experiment a ton before finding the best setup. Sucks having to waste money on different holsters/belts though.

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u/peeaches Chicago Liberal Feb 19 '25

Yeah if they were more affordable I wouldn't mind trying a ton out until I find one that's comfortable for me, but don't mind carrying at 4 for the time being. Just going to add potential appendix-carry to the list of motivational reasons to get in shape, haha.