My wife is headed to chicago...what to arm her with?

[46321]

how is the area around union station?
thats where her bus station is
i believe she will be getting free shuttle service from the sheridan hotel to the pier every day

At the times of day I imagine she'll be there, that area is generally safe. It's patrolled by Amtrak Police and CPD but there is a certain population that pops up after dark and some even sleep in and around the terminal.

 

[E'villeGunner]

Seeing as how it's Chicago, a tactical thermonuclear device comes to mind.

 

[rockhopper46038]

I'm coming to really appreciate the versatility of a good tactical pen.

 

[kwood]

I'm coming to really appreciate the versatility of a good tactical pen.

tactical pen...thats the first time iv heard of that...

 

[mayor al]

If it is a group activity, remind her there is safety in numbers. Night time is not a time to explore a new city, especially alone. Moving from conference to dinner to hotel and back can be easy if you share a cab with others who think the same as you . How long a stay is she planning? Chicago has great places to explore...but many areas that I would not EVER take my family (Remember Clark griswold in "VACATION" !)
Keep her in the group where ever she goes and her 'safety factor will climb a lot.

 

[kwood]

If it is a group activity, remind her there is safety in numbers. Night time is not a time to explore a new city, especially alone. Moving from conference to dinner to hotel and back can be easy if you share a cab with others who think the same as you . How long a stay is she planning? Chicago has great places to explore...but many areas that I would not EVER take my family (Remember Clark griswold in "VACATION" !)
Keep her in the group where ever she goes and her 'safety factor will climb a lot.

she will be going on friday and staying until friday of that weekend

 

[Dead Duck]

she will be going on friday and staying until friday of that weekend

So -
Do you have a pool?

 

[LCSOSgt11]

Maybe she would benefit from the generous use of an M1A2 Abrams tank. I would suggest canister rounds since the area may be "close quarters."

 

[Jerchap2]

Arm her with information and situational awareness and she will be fine.

That is a very safe area of the city. 90% of the problems in the city are thug against thug and occur in the thug infested areas. Stay out of those areas and the city is actually a pretty safe place. Beautiful too. One of the nicer big cities I've ever been to see.

Agreed. I have spent a fair amount of time in that area, even after dark, and never felt unsafe.

 

[indykid]

how is the area around union station?
thats where her bus station is
i believe she will be getting free shuttle service from the sheridan hotel to the pier every day

Too bad she isn't staying there tonight, it is going to be the safest place in the city as Obama is spending the night there.

The building my daughter lives in is directly next to the Sheridan, and it really isn't a bad location.

Except now since Obama is having dinner with a friend on the other side from my daughter's apartment, it is safer than ever. She just phoned me that there are more Chicago police and Secret Service than ever before.

 

[46321]

Agreed. I have spent a fair amount of time in that area, even after dark, and never felt unsafe.

I grew up and work downtown and agree that there's a lot to offer there. But just this year, a physician was stabbed in the neck after the festival of lights and dozens of tourists were hurt and/or robbed in separate "wilding" incidents. They are using social media to coordinate meeting times and there are literlly hundreds of teens robbing people, stopping traffic, and looting stores.

On March 31, 2013, the Chicago Police estimated the mob of teens to be about 400 strong. Still well worth a visit, but the OP's wife and other tourists should be especially careful.

Here's a link to several videos and news reports about the problems downtown: https://www.google.com/search?q=chi...:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb

 

[LegatoRedrivers]

Hopefully your wife has fun on her trip. I may just be a stubborn, angry old man; () but whenever someone's suggested a trip to Chicago my response has been, "That would be interesting. It's unfortunate that I'm not welcome in that state."

Like I said, I'm stubborn. I have made exceptions in rare circumstances, such as trips to Cedar Point or when I went to the Rally to Restore Sanity in DC a few years back. But generally speaking, if a state doesn't honor Indiana's LTCH, I consider myself unwelcome in that state and do my best to *not* support their tourist industry.

Illinois in particular, if just because of their habit of blaming Indiana's laws for all their gun problems instead of taking any personal responsibility whatsoever. Seriously, they're like 5-year-olds.

 

[freekforge]

if she takes oc spray i dont recommend ruger restraint it seemed a little slow acting (yes i did spray myself with it) it took a few seconds to set in but when it finally did it hurt but i was still able to walk from the garage to the house, unholster my gun and clear it, get undressed and in the shower (if you ever pepper spray youself and try to decon. in the shower leave your pants on) so i would think it wouldn't have much effect on a determined criminal.

 

[searpinski]

Are mousetraps legal in Chicago? "C'mon put you're finger here I promise it'll be fine."

 

[JasonB]

My wife is going to a conference in chicago the weekend of June 8/9th
I was really hoping she would be able to carry her firearm by that time but it looks very unlikely.

So what should i send her packing with?
Kitty keychain?
mace?
tact light?
quick deploy knife?
brass knuckles?
brass knuckles knife? (cliffhanger anyone?)

She has been carrying every day for a little over a year now and its dawning on her that she doesnt feel safe without her firearm (WIN!!!!)
Any suggestions on this would be much appreciated.

Hello Kitty keychain would be best bet...

Most knives will also catch hell in IL as will brass knuckles...

 

[Jerchap2]

Another idea is a compressed air-powered horn. You can get them several places. You cannot use them for defense, but they make an incredibly loud noise, scaring the BG and drawing attention to the scene. But as I said in an earlier post, it is a fairly safe area. Just stay in public places, preferable in groups, and she will be fine.

 

[GunnerDan]

Another idea is a compressed air-powered horn. You can get them several places. You cannot use them for defense, but they make an incredibly loud noise, scaring the BG and drawing attention to the scene. But as I said in an earlier post, it is a fairly safe area. Just stay in public places, preferable in groups, and she will be fine.

Stay in groups, and she will be fine, go ahead and tell that to the parents of the dead children at the Connecticut school shooting... They were in a group, how well did that help them?

My advice to the OP is to keep your wife as far away from that cesspool called Chicago as you can.

Gunner