Like Scott52 said it would be bad to pull and it be a fake one and I thought especially if it’s one of those blue or orange ones lol
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@John1666 Welcome to the community, and great question, but it’s best not to take that chance. Head on a swivel, situational awareness, stay safe.
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Looks like the consensus here is this is not a good idea. To that, I’ll add a legal reason why this is the case.
When conceal carrying, even a dummy gun, it is not all that unlikely to either inadvertently reveal, print or otherwise give someone else the impression that you are carrying.
As we live in a very litigious society, it is not a far reach to imagine a scenario where you exchange words with someone, involuntarily happen upon a situation between others, are approached by an individual or group with less than good intentions, etc. etc. etc. You then unintentionally print or reveal, and a person involved or nearby claims “intimidation”.
You’d then have to try to explain to law enforcement, later possibly a judge/jury, why you were carrying a dummy gun.
In Illinois, “intimidation” is a class 3 felony.
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Hope that doesn’t apply to dirty jokes at work.
I’m intimidated because he’s a white man in a leadership position. 
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My question to you would be “why”. I can think of a number of ways it could cause you problems, can think of NO real pluses. If you have something that appears to be a firearm, MOST people, good and bad, will presume it is. If they perceive a threat, YOU could get shot. IMHOits a Very bad idea. I grew up in deep southern Illinois, left 40 years ago. I go back once a year to put flowers on my family’s graves, and I do NOT carry in Illinois-the juice ain’t worth the squeeze. When we travel in the motorhome I’ll go 100 miles or more out of my way to AVOID Illinois. I prefer to spend my time and $$ in states that respect me and my constitutional rights.
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I don’t see why you can’t carry it concealed. It’s not a weapon, not a firearm. But what for? It’s useless.
Be extremely careful about presenting it.
Meh. Forget about a dummy gun.
Find out if you can carry a Byrna. Or carry pepper. Or both.
Or, if I could, I would unload the gun and separate it from the ammo and lock it up in the trunk of my car while in IL and utilize the Byrna and the pepper. Once over the border, stop the car and arm myself properly.
The firearm thing doesn’t sound like it works out at all in Chi Town.
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Welcome John1666.
I kinda like Ted64’s answer. Know exactly when you cross the border, maybe find a quiet/secluded spot and change the wardrobe. But while in IL, use your “on body” space for other but legal self defense tools as a substitution.
USCCA might even have a free phone ap that alerts you when you cross state lines.
Get the best car safe you can afford.
I respect your reason, but I do not see the value being worth the risk or effort by carrying a prosthetic. JIMHO.
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Agree with the other comments above. I just see no real benefits and lots of potential negatives on the legal and safety fronts. If you want to get used to carrying while in Illinois do it inside your residence with a dummy gun or unloaded real gun (if you can legally posses one there).
While out in public in Illinois it would be far more useful, from a self defense perspective, to work on your situational awareness and avoidance skills as apposed to your comfortable carry skills. Those skills will come in far more handy in 99% of the situations you are likely to run into in any State whether or not you have access to a firearm
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I’d forget the Byrna thing as well. Wife bought me one for states where cc isn’t legal. Three issues immediately come to mind (1) first they are NOT legal to carry everywhere despite Byrna’s claims (2) the appear firearm like and might actually get You shot, and (3) the darn things are useless. The “kinetic” rounds fired into a swinging steel plate at 10 yards FAIL to even move the plate and the little plastic ball bounces back three or four ft AND the “pepper balls” failed to burst 4 out of 5 times on the same target. The one that DID burst released a small puff of powder. You “might” stop a Chihuahua with one IF he wasn’t seriously wanting to bite you. My wife bought mine 4 weeks before my birthday. I got it on my B’day. Read about it, decided it was basically worthless and tried to return it. “Sorry-to long since purchased”. I explained that she’d got it early because we were going to be out of town. “Sorry”. I then thought, well I may as well, try it. That was when I got the results noted above. I would NOT recommend one of these POS’s to ANYBODY.
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If the Byrna doesn’t suit, there are other items like in on the market claiming they’re better than a Byrna. But first it must be known whether it can even be carried. In Chi Town? Likely not. You’ll probably be arrested. Oherwise, pepper spray is always reliable. Always good to have a can of sauce handy no matter where you are.
A replica gun? No way. No how. Ich nicht. What’s that going to do? Those are for making holsters and training sessions. Forgetaboutit.
Throw a Louisville Slugger or an axe handle in the front seat and a crowbar in the trunk. I have a Spetsnaz shovel, a tomahawk (camping tools) and a set of demolition screwdrivers in my car. There are plenty of everyday items that can be used as weapons and are perfectly legal to have. Use your imagination and be sure to train with your choices before you allow yourself to rely on them.
Don’t forget a good healthy dose of INTENT.
Good luck on this mission. Let us know what you decide. Interesting.
With just some ordinary tools in your hands, you can make a fine mess of him. So, cop that attitude and let 'em have it.
Whatever you do, never fight fair, always cheat, always bash his face in with his glasses on.
Think: bellicose. And you’ll be fine, with or without a gun.
Because, when it comes right down to it, when the rubber meets the road, as always and forever, your #1 weapon is and will always be the one you always have with you, no matter where you go, no matter what you do: your brain.
The rest is ancillary.
Note: i would also weed out biting folks from my arsenal, like it shows in the movie. I can think of a hundred better things to do than bite. Very unsafe and unsanitary. This guy might have something and you could end up with a case of the lumpuckaroo. If there’s no other option, go for it. But, if you don’t need to bite someone, I highly recommend you don’t.
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