Crossing into Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana as an informed carrier — whose licenses count where, what changes at each line, what to do if you're stopped, and the best roads for the trip.
Sample cut from the edition whose sources were last read 2026-09-29
You live in Illinois, and you're headed across the line to Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky or Indiana. You carry on an Illinois license. Then you cross the border, and the question comes up: does the rule I follow at home come with me?
All five neighbors honor an Illinois license. Nearly everything else changes at the line. Your FOID card and Illinois's own rules stay home. Each neighbor has its own banned places and car rules. And near a school across the line, don't count on your Illinois license under federal law.
Once you know what changes at each line, you can plan the trip instead of guessing. You'll know whose licenses count where, what each state expects if an officer stops you, and which places are off limits.
This guide covers Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana one at a time. It also covers visitors coming into Illinois, the federal rules for driving on through, what to do if you're stopped, the common travel routes, and where to check each rule. Each chapter opens with a short version and ends with real-world examples.
Below: the short version of every chapter, one chapter in full, and two of them from the book's 25 real-world examples.
All five neighbors honor an Illinois license, and four let an eligible adult carry without one, each on its own terms. Wisconsin allows only open carry without a license. Coming the other way, Illinois honors no one's permit for carry on foot; a visitor who qualifies may keep a gun concealed in the car only, and a home-state license is the sure way to qualify. Near schools across the line, don't count on your Illinois license under federal law.
You're at the last gas stop before the line, with a bag of Garrett's popcorn on the seat for the folks you're visiting.
At every state line, the law you carry under changes. Your Illinois license may come with you. Illinois's rules don't.
Two stories at the end of this chapter show this short list at work: "Fall colors in Indiana" and "The Evansville dad". For the best ways across, see Common travel routes.
This is a summary of six states' laws, and federal law, as we read them on September 29, 2026. It's information, education and entertainment, not legal advice. Laws change, and courts read them in ways no book can predict. You're responsible for getting your own legal counsel. Talk to an attorney licensed in the state you're visiting about your own situation.
Only one thing you carry in Illinois is built to travel: the license card. Everything else is Illinois law, and it stops at the line, from the FOID card to the legal cannabis in your kitchen. Illinois law meets you again on the way home, magazine limits included. By car, the new state's law applies the moment you cross. Greyhound and MetroLink ban guns. By air or rail, you check the gun unloaded and locked.
Ten answers, five for going out and five for coming in. Going out, all five neighbors honor an Illinois license. Wisconsin requires one for concealed carry; Iowa and Indiana need none from 18, Kentucky none from 21, and Missouri none outside its restricted places and a few more. Coming in, Illinois honors no one's permit for carry on foot. A visitor who qualifies may keep a concealed gun in the car and nowhere else.
Wisconsin honors your Illinois license. With only a FOID card, carrying concealed there is a crime, and open carry stops at government buildings, taverns and schools. Wisconsin has its own 1,000-foot school zone, and its "no guns" signs have legal force. With a license you may carry where drinks are served, if you aren't drinking. And going armed with THC in your blood at one nanogram per milliliter or more is a crime.
Iowa treats your Illinois license as an Iowa permit, and lets anyone 18 or older who isn't barred carry without one. The traps are specific. A gun on school grounds is a felony, even in your car at pickup, unless it's unloaded and packed the way Iowa's law spells out. Casinos are closed to guns, carrying while intoxicated is a crime, and some explosive ammunition is a felony.
Missouri honors your Illinois license statewide. Without one, carry is lawful outside the places on Missouri's restricted-places list: bars, schools, churches without consent, big stadiums, hospitals, riverboat casinos and more. We found no Missouri age rule for carrying without a license, so under 21 we can't promise it's lawful. At most of them, the law lets a permit holder's gun stay in the car, but we couldn't confirm which, so unload it and lock it in the trunk before you park at any of them. Without a license, add every government building, church and election precinct on election day. MetroLink bans guns outright.
Kentucky honors your Illinois license, and from 21 you don't need it. Under 21, a visitor can't carry concealed, but a gun in a car's factory glove box or console doesn't count as concealed. Kentucky's banned-places list binds everyone, licensed or not. School property is a felony unless the gun stays in your car. And a Kentucky "no guns" sign gets you removed, and refusing to leave can bring a trespass charge.
Indiana recognizes your Illinois license, and needs none from anyone 18 or older who isn't barred. School property is a felony unless the gun stays in your car, and a gun in plain view in a school lot is a crime. Airports carry their own crimes, and armor-piercing handgun ammunition is a felony to have. We found no bar ban and no duty to inform.
Federal law follows you across every line. The rule that needs the most planning is the school zone, because outside Illinois you can't count on your Illinois license near a school. Then come places: federal buildings, post offices, Army Corps of Engineers lakes, refuges and bases. Safe passage protects a drive through, but only with the gun unloaded and out of reach.
No neighbor makes you announce your gun when a stop starts. Illinois makes you say you're armed, or hand over your license, when an officer asks. Wisconsin makes a licensee show the license and a photo ID when asked, and Kentucky its own licensees. Iowa wants cooperation if you seem dangerous. Missouri has no duty to volunteer, but a licensee carrying openly where a town bans open carry must show the license on demand. Indiana has no duty we found. The calm habits are the same everywhere.
Six ways across, from a cheese stop just over the Wisconsin line to Superman on the Ohio. The easiest is I-94 to Kenosha. The prettiest is Galena to Dubuque. The best for history is the Metro East to the Gateway Arch, and the best beach day is the Indiana Dunes. Five of the six routes have a stop that bans guns outright: a casino, a museum, the Arch or an Army post. The sixth, the Lakeshore Run, passes near a Navy base that does.
Each state speaks for itself. Illinois's State Police issue the FOID card and the license. Wisconsin's Department of Justice keeps its recognition list. Iowa's Department of Public Safety answers permit questions. Missouri's Attorney General publishes its reciprocity page. Kentucky's and Indiana's State Police handle licensing. Everything here was checked September 29, 2026, except the Kentucky State Police page, which was read again on October 27, 2026.
From the examples at the end of Across the line: what is different in Wisconsin
Brian is from Crystal Lake and has an Illinois license. He and his wife drive up for the Friday fish fry at a Lake Geneva supper club with a full bar.
Wisconsin honors Brian's license. The supper club holds a "Class B" license, so the rule is simple: he may carry in if he doesn't drink. His wife orders the brandy old fashioned; Brian orders a root beer. The door has no sign. The road in passes a school, so he drove up with the pistol unloaded and locked in a case in the trunk. The supper club's lot is private property, so he could load it there. He doesn't, because he'd have to unload again before driving back past the school. The locked case stays in the trunk through dinner, and Brian eats unarmed.
From the examples at the end of Common travel routes
Ruth and Frank drive out from Schaumburg for a Galena weekend. Frank holds an Illinois license and carries in a belt case. Galena is home turf, so he carries on Main Street, where no shop door he passes is posted. At the U.S. Grant Home he locks the pistol in its case in the trunk before the tour, since the house is state-run. On Sunday they cross to Dubuque for the Fenelon Place Elevator. Before the bridge he unloads the pistol and locks it in the case, since any Dubuque street might pass a school. It stays in the trunk until they're back in Galena.
This guide is information, education and entertainment. It is not legal advice; see a licensed attorney about your own situation. Here are 8 of the 93 sources behind this sample. The full guide lists every source, each with the date we read it.
www.sneakypeteholsters.com/illinois-regional-carry-guide/
Or search "Illinois Regional Carry Guide" at www.sneakypeteholsters.com.