As an Illinois-licensed security instructor, I receive a fair number of questions on social media from security officers who are trying to understand Illinois’ complex laws, especially when it comes to guns. A common controversy is regarding licensed armed security officers carrying firearms to and from their work. Is it lawful for a licensed Illinois Security Officer to carry their duty gun to and from work? Let’s answer that!
Obligatory disclaimer: I am an instructor. I am not a Judge. Nothing I say should ever be considered legal advice. In a court of law, only a Judge’s opinion matters.
The question I received through reddit:
Hey quick question, I’m am armored car guard and was wondering if I’m legally able to open carry my firearm one hour prior to my shift or do I have to have it concealed? I’m getting mixed answers and you seem very knowledgeable from what I’ve been reading in ILguns! Lol
This is a good one. And like with most questions, there is a legal answer and a practical answer. The following is a direct copy and paste of my answer to this question (with a couple tweaks):
Great question. By the way, sign up for https://www.reddit.com/r/ILSecurity/
The short answer is I would recommend against open carry in an urban environment. Does your holster have at least a level 3 retention, and have you trained in holster retention (fighting) techniques? I would recommend getting a concealed carry license and carrying concealed at all times when off duty. Keep reading after the law for more CYA opinion.
To your question, “Is it lawful for a security officer to open carry in Illinois an hour before and/or after their shift?” The law says this:
(b) No employer shall employ any person to perform the duties for which licensure or employee registration is required and allow that person to carry a firearm unless that person has complied with all the firearm training requirements of this Section and has been issued a firearm control card. This Act permits only the following to carry firearms while actually engaged in the performance of their duties or while commuting directly to or from their places of employment: persons licensed as private detectives and their registered employees; persons licensed as private security contractors and their registered employees; persons licensed as private alarm contractors and their registered employees; and employees of a registered armed proprietary security force.
(c) Possession of a valid firearm control card allows a licensee or employee to carry a firearm not otherwise prohibited by law while the licensee or employee is engaged in the performance of the licensee’s or employee’s duties or while the licensee or employee is commuting directly to or from the licensee’s or employee’s place or places of employment.
In my layman’s opinion, you can carry to and from work if you have an FCC. The law doesn’t define openly or concealed, and doesn’t give an hour limitation, though an hour has been adopted as the industry standard to prevent someone from going out and about after work, and 3 hours later claiming that they are “commuting”. It is rare, though not impossible, that one would commute more than an hour to their place of employment.
In general, cops do not know the law. The law is vast and complex, and cops are tasked with enforcing literally tens of thousands of pages of law. To them, if what you are doing might be illegal, you’re under arrest and you’ll have to prove your innocence in court. Then you’ll pay a lawyer thousands of dollars to copy and paste the law that I just did to the prosecutor. I know of at least one licensed security officer who this happened to. He was arrested and had to hire a lawyer to get the charges dropped.
If you’re going to go armed, you have to go armed with knowledge, too. Openly carrying your firearm will draw tremendous negative attention to yourself, both by law enforcement and criminals. But, to hopefully fend off the law enforcement hazard, print this page and also carry it with you: https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/022504470K35-35.htm
Good luck! By the way, if you’re interested in advanced firearm training, sign up for the newsletter to be notified about our 2026 calendar: https://www.alphakoncepts.com/newsletter/
By the way, nothing I say is legal advice. Consult your attorney 😉
If you found this post helpful, I hope that you would consider signing up for our annual refresher training or our annual armed requalification. If you have any questions, feel free to use the contact form and we will do our best to answer your question.
Armed Requalification
Complete your annual armed requalification for armed Illinois security officers.
Unarmed Refresher
Complete your annual unarmed refresher training for all Illinois security officers.
Quality Body Armor may save your life. That is why we have partnered with RTS Tactical to provide you with the opportunity to buy quality body armor at decent prices, made right in the USA. RTS Tactical is based in Florida and manufactures soft body armor, ceramic panels, and steel panel body armor for law enforcement, security officers, and responsible civilians. Check out RTS Tactical body armor here.
