I have shot at pistol ranges on North avenue and in Oak Lawn and there is at least one on Irving Park in some suburb though I have never used it.
Nor do I believe the papers would not report a prosecution of one who defended themselves since they do when it involves Oak Park for example.
I had an NRA sticker on my car until I traded it in two years ago and NEVER had the police stop me or harass me. I see stickers fairly regularly.
There is no need to explain to anyone of a need/wish/hope for a long gun at least in Chicago. My neighborhood is filled with cops and firemen and one of the former lives next door. No one harasses gun owners there. Sorry to hear of your difficulties.
The Gunslinger in Oak Lawn was shut down by a deceitful chicago LEO sting. The Chicago Ridge shop and range was shut down recently. Don't know why, but it was subject to severe harrassment also. I forgot the name of the one on Irving Park, extreme prices and cash only. He was harrassed also. I used to shoot at Bell's, roughly N Ave on LaGrange rd. I had to sign in and out on a log sheet, because previously the cops surveilled the place and arrested target shooters who left and drove away for unlawful use of a weapon. They didn't care that the gun was unloaded and cased, only that you had one and they knew it. The sign in sheet was intended as evidence, should any of the law abiding patrons be subjected again to the official harrassment. The lawyer's fees those guys had to pay were substantial and it wasn't just a few that were arrested.
Oh, I said rifle range. Rifles are allowed in Chicago right? ... They shut down the range in Carpentersville awhile ago and the shotgun range in Northbrook. They tried to even shut down clay shooting in the State Parks and did at the Chicago park district site on L. Michigan. So much for the little guy's rights. "I had an NRA sticker on my car until I traded it in two years ago and NEVER had the police stop me or harass me. "
Wonderful. That means they must love the NRA and Freedom down there.
"My neighborhood is filled with cops and firemen and one of the former lives next door. No one harasses gun owners there.(NW Chicago)
Wonderful. I'll bet they support and are life members of the NRA. They probably showed up at a few gun rights rallys and I missed them.