Frequently Asked Questions

Once the Illinois State Police (ISP) receives a qualified application, they will issue or deny an Illinois Concealed Carry License within 90 days, provided you submit a full set of fingerprints electronically. If fingerprints are not submitted electronically, the ISP has an additional 30 days to complete a manual background check. Law enforcement agencies have 30 days to file an objection once an application is received.

Other highlights of the Illinois Concealed Carry Act:

• The license is valid throughout Illinois for five years.
• The state application fee is $150, paid directly to the Illinois State Police.
• To qualify you must be at least 21, hold a current FOID card, and pass extensive background checks (NICS, federal, state, and local criminal, mental health, and domestic violence, including juvenile adjudications).
• You must provide a head-and-shoulders color photo taken within 30 days before applying.
• Training must total at least 16 hours including range qualification, and must be approved by the ISP.
• The range qualification is a minimum of 30 rounds on a B-27 silhouette target (10 at 5 yards, 10 at 7 yards, 10 at 10 yards) with a 70% success rate. It does not have to be with the gun you will carry.
• The ISP recognizes up to 8 hours of prior approved training toward the 16-hour requirement, and accepts 8 hours as completed for active, retired, or honorably discharged members of the United States Armed Forces.

No. Electronic Livescan fingerprints are optional, but they speed up the application approval. We offer this service in class for $75.

The Illinois State Police maintain a list of accepted prior training. You can review it here: ISP prior training credit list (PDF).

Yes. As long as you can provide a copy of your DD-214 or your active duty ID card, you will receive an 8-hour credit and a reduced price of $99. When you register online, plan to attend only the Sunday portion, and bring a copy of your DD-214 (or an active-duty military ID for active duty) or the 8-hour waiver cannot be granted.

You do not need to notify us in advance. Just attend Day 2 (Sunday), which is the range qualification and the review of all the laws.

An Illinois CCW permit is honored in 24 states. If you add a Florida or Arizona non-resident permit, you can pick up 10 more states on top of that; both Florida and Arizona accept our 16-hour Illinois training course. Utah requires a completely separate class and only adds New Mexico and Washington beyond what Florida covers.

You still must apply to those states for a permit and pay their respective state application fees. For a complete, up-to-date reciprocity map, visit the USCCA reciprocity map.

Yes, we offer the training Florida requires, for free. The Florida license allows you to carry in 10 additional states. The Florida application fee is $97.00 for a 7-year license.

A concealed firearm is defined as a handgun: any device designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosion, expansion of gas, or escape of gas, and designed to be held and fired with a single hand.

A handgun does not include:

• A stun gun or taser
• A machine gun as defined in the Criminal Code of 2012
• A short-barreled rifle or shotgun as defined in the Criminal Code of 2012
• Any pneumatic, spring, paintball, or BB gun that expels a single globular projectile not exceeding .18 inch in diameter, or that has a maximum muzzle velocity under 700 feet per second, or that expels breakable paintballs with washable marking colors

No. A handgun carried on or about a person must be concealed from public view, or concealed on or about a person within a vehicle.

With the exception of property regulated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission or where firearms are prohibited under federal law, a licensee who is prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm into the parking area of a prohibited location may still carry a concealed firearm on or about their person within a vehicle into the parking area. They may store a firearm or ammunition concealed in a case within a locked vehicle, or in a locked container out of plain view within the vehicle, in the parking area.

A licensee may carry a concealed firearm in the immediate area surrounding their vehicle within a prohibited parking lot only for the limited purpose of storing or retrieving a firearm within the vehicle's trunk, provided the firearm is unloaded before exiting the vehicle.

Generally, Unlawful Use of Weapons is a Class A Misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class 3 Felony for a second or subsequent offense. There are penalty enhancements for certain locations (for example, on or within 1,000 feet of a school, public park, courthouse, public transportation facility, or residential public housing). Aggravated Unlawful Use of Weapons is a Class 4 Felony for a first offense and a Class 2 Felony for a second or subsequent offense.

You can check the expiration date of your CCL here: Illinois CCL status lookup.

We offer a 3-hour renewal class for current and expired Illinois CCL holders. Plan to renew two to three months before your license expires. Visit our class schedule to book your spot.

No, you do not need to have your FOID (Firearms Owners Identification) card. You are able to apply for it during the same time you apply for your CCL after taking our class. Note that it is a requirement for the Illinois Concealed Carry License, but again you can apply for both together..

We recommend that you bring a firearm if you own one. If you haven't purchased one yet, we have a small caliber firearm for you to rent on the range (Handgun rental with ammo is $30).

New shooters are welcome. The state-approved 16-hour course covers everything the Illinois State Police require:

• Firearms safety instruction (minimum 2 classroom hours)
• Basic principles of marksmanship (minimum 3 classroom and range hours)
• Care, cleaning, loading and unloading of a concealable firearm (minimum 3 classroom hours)
• Applicable state and federal law (minimum 4 classroom hours)
• Weapons handling (minimum 4 range hours)

You will also receive a 61-page reference booklet with all applicable state and federal laws. Live-fire qualification requires a minimum of 30 rounds fired at designated distances.

Yes, we do. A handgun rental with ammunition is $30. This is a great option if you are new to firearms and do not own a handgun yet.

We use Fox Valley Shooting Range. It's an indoor ranges located approximately 30 minutes from our classroom. The range fee for the class is only $30.

Passing the live-fire qualification requires 30 good shots, so we suggest bringing at least 50 rounds of factory ammunition.

No. Most ranges will not allow drawing from a holster during live fire, so a holster is not required for the class.

If you need to cancel or reschedule, we will allow a reschedule or issue a refund (only if you purchased directly from West Suburban CCW within the last 90 days) when you contact us in writing by email at least 7 days before your scheduled class.

If you fail to show up, are turned away for being late, or notify us of a reschedule with less than 7 days notice, there is a $50 rescheduling fee ($25 for the renewal class).