Is it legal? Looking for a little help.

[2ARay]

Howdy all, first of all, I am glad I found this group. I had no idea it exsisted, largely in part due to the fact I'm not online much probably but while waiting for my membership to be approved last night I read a lot of stuff and wow, all i can say is wow. Made for a very good read and there is some great info on here.

 

I had a question I'm hoping one of you more legal savvy guys could answer. I Googled around and couldn't find nothing other than a post linking here that didn't really answer my question and that's how I found you guys.

 

Backstory: I'm living with my girlfriend currently and it's just us. We are not home most of the day/evening as we both work. I got a letter in the mail from our neighborhood association last week saying there has been a string of attempted home and vehicle burglaries in the neighborhood since summer came around. There has been random salesman in the area going door-to-door asking people if they need a new roof but he is really scoping homes out and trying to get you outside so somebody could sneak in your house or see if you don't answer so they could break in (that's true last Saturday at about 7 in the morning somebody was ringing my doorbell like crazy and asked me if I needed a new roof).

 

It has me thinking, though. A safe is a safe indeed but if a few people had five or six hours to work on getting in it, they might get your stuff, right?

 

I was thinking about bringing most my stuff to my parents house where somebody is always home. They live in a close knit, fancy smancy subdivision, there are always eyes watching for strangers, my dad is very watchful and they have an alarm system, I don't, so I feel more comfortable storing them there.

 

Question: I'm wondering though, is it legal to store your firearms somewhere else other than the address on your FOID card? I have never dealt with this before. Would I have to change my address to my parents address to store them there? Even if I did have to, is that even legal since I would not be living there? Could any possible legal trouble be brought onto my parents? I'm not lending them and they would be stored in a safe, if that matters.

 

I Googled around and couldn't find the answer anywhere. Figured I'd try my luck here before calling ISP.

 

I'm just worried because they would be stored somewhere that is technically not my residency. Stored somewhere not matching the address on my FOID. I don't want any legal issues and I don't want to transfer them.

 

Thanks for reading and replying and I look forward to sharing my knowledge on firearms and reading the future topics.

[mikeyk101]

Yes, you can store firearms other than at your residence. That's actually the workaround for those behind enemy lines where so called "assault weapons" can't be possessed. You can legally own, just not possess "assault weapons" in certain cities or counties so it just needs to be stored outside the prohibited area. You can even store any of your firearms out of state as well if you choose. But do either of your parents have a FOID? That would be the only sticking point I could see if they don't. However that also seems to be a gray area after a recent case. But if you kept the gun(s) in a safe at your parents house and only you could open the safe so they had no access, that would probably work.

[Hatchet]

yea you can do that, one of your parents would have to have a FOID. Seems like the simpler solution would to get an alarm system yourself of some type and a good safe.

[soundguy]

Welcome to Illinois Carry.

 

I believe you can store your guns anywhere. Your parents should, ideally, both have FOID cards. One would probably do it, especially if they don't have access. Though we are "registered" as potential gun owners, no one knows what guns you may or may not have. The authorities will not be showing up at your residence with a list of your guns, demanding to see them.

 

I once had a locker at a local range during the Chicago prohibition.

Another time I stored mine with my father during the "wife moves out" phase of divorce.

 

The very best safe you can afford, which is also hidden or disguised and securely fixed in place, is also a good idea.

[101abn]

A safe, alarm ( Simply Safe ) do it yourself installation and a couple of security cameras with notification should ease your mind.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[2A4Cook]

Yes, you can store firearms other than at your residence. That's actually the workaround for those behind enemy lines where so called "assault weapons" can't be possessed. You can legally own, just not possess "assault weapons" in certain cities or counties so it just needs to be stored outside the prohibited area. You can even store any of your firearms out of state as well if you choose. But do either of your parents have a FOID? That would be the only sticking point I could see if they don't. However that also seems to be a gray area after a recent case. But if you kept the gun(s) in a safe at your parents house and only you could open the safe so they had no access, that would probably work.

This. Store away to your heart's content, so long as at least one of your parents holds a current FOID card.

[Euler]

Any safe that can keep thieves out will cost more than whatever you put inside it. The idea is that making them cut a safe open might be more hassle than they want. An alarm to notify you is the back up, because even the best safes can be breached in under 30 minutes by someone with the right tools.

 

I posted about DevianOllam's recent talk about safes, etc., in this thread a while ago.

[Xwing]

Perfectly legal. No gray area at all if at least one of your parents has a FOID card. I stored my handgun at my parents house and later at a friends house back when I lived in Chicago before the McDonald decision.

 

Also, any "safe" you buy (residential security container) can actually be defeated in a few minutes with the right power tools. But certainly much better than nothing.

 

One downside is if you store your firearms elsewhere, you won't have them available should the need arise for self defense.

[Billard]

I was not expecting so many replies. Thank you all so much and I'm glad to be here!

 

My father has a FOID and there are no restrictions in the county I or he lives in other than the standard Illinois restrictions.

 

But the whole situation just had me thinking and I watched some YouTube videos and it makes you question the Integrity of the common gun safes, let's just say the ones that can be had for $500-800. I cannot afford no fancy $5,000 safe either but we are looking into getting an alarm system now. The safe I have has been bolted down and hidden as much as possible in a usually locked room since the day I've gotten it.

 

I would definitely keep something here in case the situation ever presented itself where I needed a firearm but I do want to get what I normally don't use at the range somewhere safer than here since we have Prowlers in the neighborhood.

 

All the information was very helpful and I really appreciate all you guys who took time to reply!

[mikeyk101]

IMHO, an $5-800 safe is much better than no safe at all. And having it bolted to the floor is a big plus. No safe is theft proof, even a $5000 safe. Your average thief will not be able to open an average safe. But someone who knows what they are doing will be able to get into a $500 or a $5000 safe. Having a safe somewhat tucked away where it is not freely visible and not advertising what or how much you have is your best bet.

[drumgod]

Some ranges and shops offer secure storage as well.