My visit to Chicago

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8MM Mauser

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I really enjoy Chicago. I've been a weekender tourist there since my parents took me when I was young. I went there as a kid, a young adult and now I take my own family. I really enjoy the feel of the city, the food is great, the facilities are impressive, and I can take a train there, and then for $20 use CTA all weekend so I get a break from driving (I have a very long work commute).

That said; I was a little disturbed by the number of "no-gun" signs I saw virtually everywhere. I'm happy to say that my hotel didn't have any (not that I could carry in IL anyway with a MI permit) but my favorite restaurant did; in fact most restaurants and other public spaces did! We took my daughter to the Shedd Aquarium, it has this series of double doors which enclose a small "inside/outside" area and then there is another set of double doors. Every single door had a no gun sign! There were so many my daughter actually asked me "dad, why is there a line through the gun?" and I had to explain what the sign met. This quickly led to questions from other kids in line too.

It is really too bad, honestly to me that what seem like very good people take such a dim view of a person's right to self-defense, especially in a city as potentially dangerous as Chicago! The whole city had a heavy police/security presence. I actually chatted with a guard carrying a GP100 for a few minutes. Chicago is a mid-western city and I cannot help but wonder if it is possible to bring them into the fold...? They aren't so different from us Michiganders really.
 
Any place that is new to concealed carry licenses ALWAYS starts out with a mindblowing plethora of "NO GUNS" signs. It is all based around irrational fear and foolishness.

--they think legal, licensed carriers will get in to petty arguments leading to shootouts

--they think the same folks will play with their guns and ND a hole in the floor or wall

--they think a sign somehow absolves them from potential liability if bad thing happen

--they must believe psychopaths & murderers may kill at will BUT NOT exceed the authority of a posted sign...?!

Chicago is full of wonderful things but there are countless other places that I personally feel are a MUCH better fit for me, my time and my money. Suffice to say, I have zero plans to -EVER- go there, through there or near there ever again, the entire rest of my life.

I gree up in Michigan, my family resides there and I visit often.

The good people scattered across the State of Illinois are indeed much like Michigan folks. However, the people that occupy Chicago are NOT. Not at all, and I would think most Michigan folks would take offense to such an assertion.
 
The Chicago political machine does NOT like firearms unless they are owned by themselves or people under their control.

It was a major fight to get the CCW law to cover Chicago and there are things forbidden to CCW in Cook County that are legal elsewhere in the state.

Also large corporations and universities are also pushing all their tennants to post the signs, some are making mandatory as part of the lease.

So the real challenge of CCW in Chi is where you can CCW.

Thank goodness for the parking lot exemption.

NukemJim
 
Downtown is like that, the neighborhoods are just the opposite. Don't see many of those signs at all outside of downtown.

The Shedd Aquaruium, btw, is prohibited by statute.
 
It mist be crazy to try and carry there!

In Grand Rapids MI I think I've noticed about 2-3 places with no gun signs... But down there they were on everything!

And sevens I think it would depend on who you talked to in Michigan:

GR/ Kent county are not exactly friendly to CCW but the general culture doesn't seems to have a problem with it.
 
I really enjoy Chicago. I've been a weekender tourist there since my parents took me when I was young. I went there as a kid, a young adult and now I take my own family.
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If you and others like you accept their actions and continue to give them your money, why should they change? I vote with my wallet and try to make them aware of why they don't get in mine.
 
Born and raised in Chicago and it's by far the greatest city on this planet. That being said our politicians and states attorneys are biased corrupt and ignorant. I just received my CCW and what you learn in the class is to NOT carry a gun. You basically can't carry it anywhere. They want to make it as tough as possible on you so you don't get the CCW. I really hope in time it gets better. For now I'll just keep my guns at home.
 
I've carried every day since I got my Illinois CCL in April '14, I still haven't had to disarm to go anywhere. Again, outside of downtown the "no guns" signs are few and far between.

Chicago has an ordinance requiring any establishment with a consumed on premises liquor license to post, but again outside of downtown compliance with that is almost non-existent. None of the restaurant/bars on the north side I go to watch sports are posted, in defiance of city liquor license requirements. I think the city isn't enforcing it because they know the requirement violates state preemption and they don't want a plaintiff to sue. The NRA would love to have a plaintiff to challenge this ordinance, but until they try to enforce it on someone who wants to fight back they don't have a plaintiff with standing to sue.
 
Chicago is a place ruled by despots who have convinced the masses that they don't want to be armed and populated by sheeple with the "Guns are evil" mentality. Here in Arkansas the only places I know with no guns signs are one movie theater (the same chain as the one shot up by James Holmes in Aurora, CO showing how truly brain dead they are), both UPS and Fed-Ex offices (a hoot considering the number of guns being shipped through the locations) and a Toys-R-Us (and their utter stupidity is national not just local).

Maybe someday the geniuses who run businesses in Chicago will develop functioning brain cells and wise up...but I doubt it. Stupid...it seems...is forever.
 
It would be nice to see Chicago businesses realize the pointlessness of such signage.

Also, how about how about some reciprocity with MI?
 
I've only had to visit Chicago on business, and likely won't ever go back. It was a neat place to visit with a lot of history, but the sheer amount of corruption and their views on things will ensure they don't get any of my money voluntarily...
 
My Visit to Chicago

We've visited the Chicago area several times. Really enjoyed the Shed Aquirum the first couple times, not so much since the nineties.
Thirty dollars to park, all the handicapped taken.
Chicago is as it is portrayed in the media the last 30 years.
They are taking their show on the road. The ones, with influence or just a bit of money are taking over western Michigan. The problem with that is they are taking their baggage of anti firearms and everything else.
South Haven on north and they are expanding .Farm country of mid and southern Michigan is seeing the invasion and the anti gun agenda is popping up in places.
We observed carloads with Chicago tags bringing stuff to pawn to Marshall County Michigan. Why so far to pawn:probably hot and the other end of the Interstate.
 
I've visited Chicago a few times, always on business (mine or my wife's) and mostly downtown. I like visiting but wouldn't want to live there -- just too big. I can understand a resident being savvy to the corruption but I'm really surprised that a casual visitor could see corruption out in the open. I couldn't. Heck, even the bus drivers treated me nice.
 
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Chicago has the best deep dish pizza and the best style of hotdogs. Do those two make up for the crappy gun laws?

In Austin, Texas, our local attempts at deep dish were pathetic: Conans Pizza (barf) and Mangia Pizza (double barf and now out of business). We do have better gun laws.
 
We've got a similar situation in Minneapolis/St. Paul with regard to the 'Guns banned in these premises' signs.

During the concealed carry debate years ago the anti legislators passed around a flak vest and donned it before getting up to tell us how the 'streets would run red' if we allowed concealed carry in the state.

Some vowed never to enter any store or shop that did NOT have the 'guns banned' sign. Wish some enterprising young journalist would follow them around for a day (today) and see how many are keeping to their pledge.
 
I like going to Chicago too but I think they're nuts. It's like a big no personal safety place. And the only people that aren't going to be thinking about removing their gun to enter one of those safe zones is the criminals.

I also think the FOID card should be removed.
 
I've visited Chicago a few times, always on business (mine or my wife's) and mostly downtown. I like visiting but wouldn't want to live there -- just too big. I can understand a resident being savvy to the corruption but I'm really surprised that a casual visitor could see corruption out in the open. I couldn't. Heck, even the bus drivers treated me nice.
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This has been my experiance too. As a western Michigander Chicago is the closest and easiest tourist spot that is a big city, and the institutions are great, especially the museums.
 
4V50 Gary
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Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 17,649
Did you visit the Chicago Museum of Technology and Science? U-505 and a JU-87 Stuka are there.
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Didn't get to go on this trip. My daughter is only three and we thought it would be too much for her. I've been though and I love the place!
 
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