I am actively employed as a CMV driver, currently local, I carry every day on the job.
I carried in my OTR truck also, however, when you enter a state where concealed carry is prohibited, you are required to carry it as outlined by the state.
I.E. when I went through illinois i had to dismantle my gun and lock it under my bunk.
Also, if you are a driver who travels in the city of chicago, leave your gun at home, at least before the SCOTUS ruling.
I personally always bring my G23 w/ me when I travel through Illinois. I remove the slide but keep a loaded mag "loose" in it (of course I don't have a round in the chamber) Inserting the slide, pushing the mag firmly in, and racking it doesn't take me long AND the nice thing is, I am allowed to carry openly or concealed with this disassembled pistol.
How?
There are 3 ways to be exempt from Unlawful Use of Weapons (Illinois Law regarding Firearms) while transporting your firearm; any ONE of these three is enough to be exempt. The three are:
1. Break down the firearm so that it can't function.
2. Put the firearm somewhere "inaccessible."
3. Illinois resident w/ FOID card: unload your firearm and enclose it in a case, box, shipping box or other container.
You must do only 1 of those things to be exempt while transporting a firearm in Illinois.
See:
People v. Hesler
http://www.state.il.us/Court/Opinion...ML/4951005.txt
Although Hesler lost his case because they thought that he had only taken the revolver apart when he approached the LEO, the Illinois Appellate Court examined the issue of how one can legally transport a firearm.
Mr. Hesler went through a "Roadside Safety Check" in Vermilion County in 1994. Hesler had a revolver on his truck seat next to him and when the officer checked on Hesler, he saw the cylinder-less revolver lying in plain sight. He got Hesler out of the truck and searched and found the cylinder lying on the floor with six rounds in at.
Hesler argued that he had removed the cylinder from the revolver before going on his drive. Therefore,the revolver was "broken down in a non-functioning state and covered under the aforementioned exemption.
The state made two arguments:
1. The officer believed Hesler had been transporting the gun in one piece until he was stopped, at which point he quickly disassembled it. Defendant was still guilty of transporting the gun. Their reasoning was that the cylinder was on the floor, ammo had dropped out, and no one in their right mind would actually be transporting with ammo falling on the floor.
2. Even if #1 were not true, the defendant is still guilty because the revolver ALSO needs to be "inaccessible".
The trial court agreed with the prosecutor and Hesler was convicted.
Hesler appealed.
The Appellate Court found that argument #2 was invalid; the statute says there are 3 independent ways to transport a firearm in Illinois. The conviction was upheld, though, because the APPELLATE court is required to examine the case in the light most favorable to the prosecution, and in that light, they found argument #1 persuasive.
From the Hesler Case:
Quote:
Defendant relies upon People v. Freeman, 196 Ill. App.
3d 370, 553 N.E.2d 780 (1990). In Freeman, the defendant's car
was stopped because it did not have a functioning license plate
light. The police officer claimed that, as he approached the
car, he saw the defendant making movements that suggested to the
police officer that the defendant was sticking something in his
pocket. Upon finding that the defendant did not have a valid
driver's license, the defendant was arrested and searched. The
cylinder to a revolver was found in the defendant's left pants
pocket, and a revolver was found under a cardboard box on the
front seat. The trial court did not believe the police officer's
testimony that the defendant disassembled the gun upon the
officer's approach. Nonetheless, the trial court convicted the
defendant because of the court's belief that the pistol was
within the defendant's immediate control. The appellate court
reversed because a "broken down, cylinderless pistol, incapable
of being fired, not in immediate operating condition, and not
immediately accessible" does not fall within the purview of the
unlawful use of weapons statute. Freeman, 196 Ill. App. 3d at
373, 553 N.E.2d at 782.
Freeman is confusing, as it seems to mix the exemptions
found in section 24-2(b)(4) of the Code. As noted, however, that
subsection states that section 24-1(a)(4) does not apply or
affect the "[t]ransportation of weapons that are broken down in a
non-functioning state or are not immediately accessible."
(Emphasis added.) 720 ILCS 5/24-2(b)(4) (West 1994).
Whether
the weapon is broken down and whether the weapon is inaccessible
constitute separate exceptions.
There are at least three ways an average citizen can
legally transport a firearm. First, the possessor of a valid
firearm owner's identification card (FOID card) can legally
transport an unloaded firearm so long as it is enclosed in a
container. 720 ILCS 5/24-2(i) (West 1994); People v. Bruner, 285
Ill. App. 3d 39, 42-43, 675 N.E.2d 654, 656 (1996). Second, a
person can legally transport a firearm by placing it in an area
that is not immediately accessible, such as a locked trunk. 720
ILCS 5/24-2(b)(4) (West 1994). Finally, a person can legally
transport a firearm that is "broken down in a non-functioning
state." 720 ILCS 5/24-2(b)(4) (West 1994). The first two
methods are inapplicable to the instant case, and defendant does
not argue otherwise. Rather, defendant argues that he proved, by
a preponderance of the evidence, that he was entitled to the
"broken down" exemption.