Instructor
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Paul WarrenNRA Certified InstructorA Police Officer with just under 20 years of experience and is the owner of Safe Side Tactical.
He is a certified Police Firearms Instructor, NRA Basic Pistol Instructor, NRA In Home Defense Instructor, and Utah State Certified Concealed Carry Instructor. He also holds many other state certifications to teach firearms courses.
Paul has been teaching Concealed Carry Courses for the last 4 years and draws from his experience in working undercover narcotics. Paul currently serves as a Patrol Sergeant and the Sniper Team Leader for their multi-jurisdictional S.W.A.T. Team, with over 18 years of experience as a S.W.A.T. operator.
Paul has developed most of the courses taught at Safe Side Tactical. He believes that education and training is the key to staying safe and hopes that you will take the next step to be on the safe side of a deadly force encounter.
Illinois Concealed Carry 1
This 8-hour class is Part 1 of the two-part training requirement for obtaining an Illinois Concealed Carry License (CCL). All applicants must complete Part 1 as part of their required training.
Part 1 and Part 2 may be completed in any order. You can take either course first, depending on your schedule and training needs.
What You’ll Learn
The classroom portion covers:
- Firearms safety and safe concealed carry practices
- Prohibited carry locations under Illinois law
- Characteristics of a quality holster
- Differences between revolvers and semi-automatic handguns
- Proper grip, stance, and sight alignment
- Firearm cleaning and holster drills
Live-Fire Qualification
Students will complete a 30-round live-fire qualification at the range:
- 10 rounds at 5 yards
- 10 rounds at 7 yards
- 10 rounds at 10 yards
Complete Your Additional 8 Hours of Training
Choose one of the following options:
- Illinois Concealed Carry 2
- Utah, Florida & Arizona Concealed Carry
- NRA Basic Pistol
- Defensive Pistol I & II (4 hours each)
Other Training and Qualifications That May Satisfy Part of the Requirement
Certain prior training, military service, or law enforcement experience may qualify for partial credit toward the Illinois CCL training requirement, subject to Illinois State Police rules and applicable eligibility requirements.
The following options may satisfy the indicated number of training hours:
- 8 hours: Active, retired, or honorably discharged member of the U.S. Armed Forces
- 8 hours: Previously qualified law enforcement or corrections officer, as provided under 430 ILCS 66/75
- 4 hours: Illinois Hunter Safety Course
- 4 hours: Nevada Concealed Carry
- 4 hours: Missouri Concealed Carry
- 4 hours: Kentucky Concealed Carry
- 4 hours: Michigan Concealed Carry
- 4 hours: Chicago Firearms Safety Course
- 8 hours: NRA Personal Protection in the Home
- 8 hours: NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home
Eligibility for credit depends on the specific course, documentation, and applicable state requirements. Please verify that your prior training or qualifications are accepted before relying on them to fulfill your remaining hours.
- Visit the Illinois State Police Website for more information
Note: Illinois is currently only accepting applications for non-residents from six other states: ARKANSAS, IDAHO, MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, TEXAS, AND VIRGINIA.
Illinois Concealed Carry Application
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- We can assist you in applying for your Illinois Concealed Carry License. The filing fee is $35.00 for our students.
- Save time! Print out and fill in this Worksheet before class!
- We also offer optional electronic fingerprinting for $55.00 the day of class.
What is needed to do a CCL application:
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- Your existing Username and Password for the Illinois State Police
- A certificate signed by the instructor showing completion of the training.
- Documents that show other qualified training or military service
- A valid FOID card and Driver’s License or State ID
- ID photo
- Knowledge of the previous 10 years of your home addresses, including dates.
The Illinois Concealed Carry License is $150.00 plus a $3.53 credit card surcharge for a total of $153.53. The fee for non-residents is $300.00 plus a $6.75 credit card surcharge for a total of $306.75.
Class Cancellation / Reschedule Policy
- If you need to Cancel or Reschedule a class, you must call the store: 847-428-4867
- Cancellation / Reschedule of a class from one week to the day of the class is $50.00
