Shooting rented guns in Illinois

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  • jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I'm stuck in Waukegan, IL, for another couple of weeks, so I got the itch to hit the range and poke holes in paper. The last time I rented guns from a range, I was testing out various 9mm duty guns. I was not impressed with any of them, which is why I ended up with a CZ. On this trip, I got to shoot at a range in Illinois. I asked if I could rent a gun to shoot, he asked if I had an FOID. I told him I'm not an Illinois resident,so he says something about Wisconsin. I told him I'm a Virginia resident. So that got over one hurdle. I had to sit at a computer terminal and fill out a form, asking me the same basic questions as if I were purchasing a firearm. Weird. I ended up renting a Springfield Armory Range Office with one magazine, and bought 50 rounds of their ammunition and a single target. I'm out $64 now. I loaded up the magazine, set the target to 21', and started shooting. I ended up aiming for the t bar in the head, since body shots would hit the floor. I ended up put 48 rounds into a hole the size of a baseball, with one flyer. I managed to bobble a round out into the range, which was annoying. It was worth doing, since I had nothing else to do on a Thursday afternoon. I might have to bring my own Range Officer in next time. This range has a Monday night Bullseye league. I might try that before I leave. It wasn't a bad experience, considering I wasn't expecting to be able to shoot in Illinois. I'm never moving out here, that's for dang sure.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    You're far enough from Chicago and close to Wisconsin, so people are more normal about guns. I grew up not far from there on the Wisconsin side of the border. People are generally pretty nice in the area, so hope you haven't had any bad experiences. Downstate in Illinois, the gun culture is also normal. People just hate how Chicago/Cook County drives the state's politics, and gun control legislation.

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    rascal

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 15, 2013
    1,253
    I asked if I could rent a gun to shoot, he asked if I had an FOID. I told him I'm not an Illinois resident,so he says something about Wisconsin. I told him I'm a Virginia resident. So that got over one hurdle.I had to sit at a computer terminal and fill out a form, asking me the same basic questions as if I were purchasing a firearm.

    There are plenty of gun ranges in Virginia and Pennsylvania that do this, especially if you are renting a gun.. Fill out a form that has all the prohibited class questions from 4473. more and more often if you have not been to that range before you have to watch a safety video. You have to take a test at the NRA range to shoot even bringing your own gun are not renting one of their guns.

    A liquor store is not required to bolld test you for alchol, but they are required to take precautions not to sell to peoplew who are drunk. Just as they are requed

    In fact lots of ranges will flat out not rent a gun to you unless you have a carry licence/registration or FOID, have shot there before, or are two or more people, because they don't want you deciding to knock yourself off inside their range.

    By the way I can walk into a Bass pro in Maryland, and forget about shooting on of theirs -- and they will not let me touch an unloaded handgun there a sales counter to just get a feeling for the grip even though I have a DC registration and DC and Va carry permits.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    There are plenty of gun ranges in Virginia and Pennsylvania that do this, especially if you are renting a gun.. Fill out a form that has all the prohibited class questions from 4473. more and more often if you have not been to that range before you have to watch a safety video. You have to take a test at the NRA range to shoot even bringing your own gun are not renting one of their guns.

    I've been to Elite, Blue Ridge, NRA, Sharpshooters, Clark Brothers, and Silver Eagle. I've never had to fill out a 4473 equivalent. At most, they have me sign off that I'm not a prohibited person. At Elite and NRA, I've had to sit through a video. Here in Illinois, no video, just a really invasive sign up.

    In fact, the clerk didn't even ask me for anything except my DL. I think for me to possess a firearm here, I have to have something from my state saying that I was allowed to own a firearm :rolleyes: I do have my resident concealed carry permit with me.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    You can't even buy ammo in Illinois if you are an out of stater and can't provide a out of state carry permit or an active hunting license. It used to be with the hunting license you could only buy rifle rounds not pistol calibers, but I don't know if they've relaxed this with the increasing popularity of PCCs and lever actions in handgun calibers.

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    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    It's covered here in this article from 2015 ...

    http://www.ilgunrights.com/can-businesses-sell-ammunition-to-non-residents/

    See the blue highlighted regions, in particular the emboldened points.

    I found plenty of 22LR during the ammo shortage at a Gander Mountain when traveling through Illinois. They wouldn't sell it unless I produced a hunting permit (and didn't have one at the time). Only discovered after leaving the place that my Maryland HQL or non-resident Utah concealed firearm permit probably would have worked.

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    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    I'm heading up to Wisconsin this week to do some more shooting. At the Illinois range, they kept the guns for sale locked in a cage, and you could only fondle new stuff if you had your papers. I'm sure that's not going to be the case in Wisconsin.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia

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