Archives for October 2013

There are differing opinions about how credit for previous training for the Illinois Concealed Carry License is to be applied.  While 16 hours of training is required to obtain an Illinois License to Carry, the first 8 hours of training can be waived for military service or having taken an NRA course like the Basic Pistol Shooting Course.  In addition, 4 hours of credit is given for having taken the Illinois Hunter Safety Course, the Chicago Firearms Safety Course, or for having training used to obtain ccw permits from Utah, Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Michigan and Nevada.

The problem is that many people have taken a 5 hour Utah/Florida course (for example) and used the training to obtain both a Utah and Florida ccw permit.  This is perfectly acceptable, unless you are trying to claim 8 hours of credit for having two permits obtained with only 5 hours of training.

Currently, the Illinois State Police is saying that they will require copies of “Training Certificates” from each ccw course in order to obtain the credit. Almost no Utah instructors, however, issue certificates.  Instead, they issue a stamped and signed application that you then send off to get your permit.  So we are awaiting word on how the Illinois State Police will deal with the lack of certificates….

Illinois Gun Pros does offer a four-hour course for those who have 4 hours of training, so that they won’t have to do the entire 16 hours.  This course is also available to those who have two ccw permits that were obtained with less than 8 hours of training.

Stay tuned for more updates about how the Illinois State Police will recognize multiple ccw permits for up to 8 hours.

The Illinois Gun Pros state-approved curriculum for Illinois Concealed Carry Classes is an 8 hour course that teaches the following:

 4 Hours of Gun Handling

In addition to the shooting qualification at the range, you will participate in hands-on drills to teach you exactly how to draw your gun safely, and reholster safely. (Drawing and reholstering are the things that cause the majority of accidental discharges and you DON’T want to accidentally shoot yourself.

4 Hours of Legal Training

We will teach you how to carry legally without accidentally bringing your concealed gun onto the property of a “Prohibited Area” (which is a Class B Misdemeanor).  This is critical. Instead of just listening to a lecture about where you can and cannot carry, you will be actively involved in filling out worksheets so that you KNOW how to stay legal.  You will work as a class and also break out into small groups so that you can learn from the questions that others ask, which you might not have thought of.

In addition, you will be taught the FOID Card Act, Justifiable Use of Deadly Force, and all other laws that are required for you to know to carry a concealed gun.

If you want to register for an Illinois Concealed Carry Class,  you will need either 8 or 12 or 16 hours of training.  Don’t know how much training you may require?  You can find out how many hours do I need for an Illinois Concealed Carry License.

With the approval of our curriculum, Illinois Gun Pros has now begun scheduling Concealed Carry Classes!

We have many people who have already satisfied the first 8 hours of the 16 hour training requirement.  They have either taken the NRA Basic Pistol Course, are either military veterans or Active / Reserves, or they have taken other courses approved by the Illinois State Police that add up to 8 hours.  These individuals are filling up the “second 8 hour” classes we have scheduled.

What if you have only 4 hours credit, from another state’s ccw permit or an Illinois Hunter Safety Course or the Chicago Firearms Safety Course?  Well, then you will need 12 hours of training.  You can click here to see how that will work.

If you have no training and require the full 16 hours, we will be offering the NRA Basic Pistol Course to take care of the first 8 hours. This class will be offered in November and will automatically get you a preferred spot in the 2nd 8-hour class.