The 28-year-old garbage truck driver turned the tables on two armed robbers by using his legally carried firearm. The driver was ambushed in an alley by two assailants, who intended to rob him.

The driver, who had a valid concealed carry license (CCL), responded to the threat by drawing his gun and engaging in a shootout. One of the robbers, aged 42, was fatally shot in the head, while his 20-year-old accomplice was in critical condition after being hit in the neck. The driver himself escaped the gunfire unharmed, but they treated him for chest pains at St. Anthony Hospital, where he was reported to be in good condition.

These events consistently raise the topic of gun ownership, self-defense, and concealed carry in Chicago, a city known for its strict gun laws. This is a clear example of why individuals should have the right to protect themselves, including while at work.

There have been more criminals shot by people defending themselves than officer-involved shootings in Chicago in the past year.

In Illinois, you have to have a FOID card just to possess ammunition and a CCL license to carry a gun, which the driver had, but I’m sure the criminals didn’t care about following the law. Illinois law allows for the use of deadly force in self-defense when one reasonably believes they are in immediate danger of death or severe harm.

BREAKING: Chicago garbage truck driver exchanges gunfire with 2 armed robbers: shooting one dead and the other in the neck.

Garbage man is a concealed carry license holder. #2A saved his life this Friday morning. pic.twitter.com/DMo0DxdBJr

— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) January 31, 2025

This story has quickly spread across social media platforms like X, with many expressing support for the driver’s quick thinking and bravery.

He tried to escape on the train (stolen cars are the preferred method in Chicago) but fell into the passenger car, and that’s where the cops found him.

This happened right before lunch at the Chicago Landmark Diamond Center in the middle of the shopping district of the Mag Mile. The police took the employee into custody, but no reported charges have been filed yet.

The store employee fumbled for his gun, and I can’t stress enough the need to get training and practice on a regular basis. The number of self-defense shootings in Chicago that have occurred this year is definitely outpacing last year.

CCL shootings are all already in the double digits, and that’s not good for tourism.

@SPOTNEWSonIG on X does a great job at keeping everyone up to date with scanner traffic coming from the Chicago Police Department.

We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if more details hit the local news, but only in Chicago do the tow truck drivers shoot at each other for dibs on a car.

Yesterday’s article outlined the previous five CCL incidents from around the city. Chicago really is turning into the Wild West.

Here are the five incidents that I know of.

• 1/22/2024    Teen shot by a customer during an attempted restaurant robbery
• 1/26/2024   In Chicago Ridge, offenders got into a gunfight with 2 CCL holders they were following
• 1/28/2024  CCL holder calls 911 and says someone is threatening him with a knife
• 1/28/2024: CCL holder gets into a shootout with men who stole his SUV
• 1/30/2024: This morning, men attempted to rob a CCL holder, and they lost

How many officer-involved shootings have occurred in the past week? Zero that I can find.

I’m meeting with a Chicago business owner tomorrow to view security camera footage that shows the police arriving just as the offenders take off.

They got away and committed multiple robberies on the same night, including another one of his stores.

Given that last year saw a significant number of shootings in self-defense in major cities, the question is whether this pattern will continue in 2024.

The latest incident was in the 1600 block of North Hamlin Avenue on the city’s northwest side. According to the Chicago Police, a vehicle with two men inside approached a 31-year-old man. The two men began to shoot at the victim, who had an Illinois concealed carry license (CCL). He pulled out his gun and returned fire, striking the attackers.

One offender was a 44-year-old who got shot in the chest and didn’t survive. He hit the second offender, a 37-year-old, in the shoulder, and authorities took him to the hospital in fair condition.

The list of individuals fighting back in Chicago this year is growing, and it extends beyond concealed carry holders.

In one incident, a group of men ambushed an off-duty police officer while he was returning home. He shot back and successfully defended himself.

A mob attacked a couple in a Tesla during a street takeover, and they hit multiple vehicles trying to escape.

In October, a man approached a couple with what looked like a knife as they were walking out of a hotel. Someone recorded the entire incident as the unarmed male victim fought the guy off.

There are three weeks left to go, and this is most likely not the last self-defense case the Chicago area will see this year.

In many states, you will have to go through a process to carry a firearm and then get your license permit, etc., depending on what your state calls it, to legally have a gun on you and exercise your Second Amendment right.

In Arizona, it’s a CWP, in Texas it’s an LTC, and in California, it’s a CCW.

List of Constitutional Carry States

Some states allow constitutional carry, and as long as you can legally own a gun, you can carry. As of 2023, the following states allow constitutional carry: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida (concealed carry only), Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota (concealed carry only), Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee (handguns only), Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

In a few states, you have to have permission just to have a gun or ammunition at home, like Illinois, with their Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card requirements. After that, you can apply for a concealed carry license. Places like Hawaii, California, and New York make it extremely difficult to get a permit. As you can see, it gets confusing.

What Do Concealed Carry License Abbreviations Stand For

As you can see, the name of the piece of paper permitting you to carry a gun isn’t short, and the concealed carry license terminology is confusing.

• CCL – Concealed Carry License
• CCW — Concealed Carry Weapon
• LTC — License to Carry
• CHP — Concealed Handgun Permit
• CCP — Concealed Carry Pistol
• CCP — Concealed Carry Permit
• LTCF — License to Carry Firearm
• CWP — Concealed Weapons Permit
• CHL — Concealed Handgun License
• CPL — Concealed Pistol License

You May Need a License to Carry Weapons Besides Guns

Not only does this term include handguns, but it may also include other types of weapons, like knives or non-lethal weapons like pepper spray. Applicants need to know precisely what the term means in their own jurisdiction, and if traveling to different states, make sure you understand how the laws work. When another state recognizes your permit, they call it reciprocity.

Understanding concealed carry license abbreviations like CCL, CHL, CWP, CCW, and LTC is important because whenever you read articles, they refer to them differently and sometimes incorrectly. Knowing what they refer to will help you carry legally and clarify concealed carry laws and the requirements tied to the license.

A 23-year-old victim, who, in this case, is also an alleged criminal, was attending a party in Decatur, IL, over the weekend.

Someone went up to him and lifted the hoodie he was wearing, then took the handgun he had concealed underneath.

By the time the police got there, the crook who stole the gun was gone. The victim, though, got taken in and charged with unlawful use of a weapon (UUW.)

Sgt. Steve Hagemeyer from the Decatur Police Department said, “He said a man got really close to him, lifted up his hoodie, and grabbed his gun from his waistband, a 9mm semi-automatic with an extended magazine.”

“The man then pointed the gun at everybody and told them to get out of the house. The victim said he didn’t want to be shot with his own gun, so he left on foot and called the police.”

“He is allowed to have a gun, but he does not have a concealed carry card, and he is not allowed to carry a loaded gun around, so he was arrested for the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon based on his admissions.”

In Illinois, you must have a firearms owner’s identification card (FOID) to own a gun and a concealed carry license (CCL) to have it on you.

The state of Illinois has arrested people for owning a gun and not having a FOID. In 2020, police were called to a home because someone heard a gunshot and later arrested the woman living there for having a rifle but not having a FOID card.

She took it to court and won because the court found the FOID card to be an unconstitutional requirement, but it only applies if you are in possession of the gun when you are in your home.

A man with a concealed carry license (CCL) fired a shot into the air Sunday evening in a suburb north of Chicago during a confrontation with pro-Palestinian protestors.

In the video, the 39-year-old male driver exits his car and starts chasing a woman who tried to pull an Israeli flag off his passenger side door. People in the crowd for the pro-Palestinian rally go after the man. A melee begins, and while multiple people are on top of the guy, he pulls out a gun and fires a shot into the air.

People ran away, and immediately, armed police surrounded him. He put his gun on the ground and his hands in the air. The police put him in handcuffs and quickly took him away.

Yesterday, the Cook County State’s Attorney said, “After reviewing the evidence, which includes surveillance video and witness statements, we have determined the individual … acted in self-defense upon being surrounded by a crowd and attacked by some of those individuals.”

Lincolnwood police said, “This Sunday evening, a support Israel event took place in the 3400 block of Touhy Avenue in Skokie. Approximately 200 protesters showed up in support of the Palestinian population in the Middle East. The Skokie Police Department initially took preventative measures by having a Law Enforcement mutual aid plan on standby prior to the event occurring. Due to several disturbances escalating outside the event, additional police resources were called to respond to the area to help control the crowd and maintain order.

During the gathering, a subject was confronted by numerous individuals in the Lincolnwood Town Center mall across the street from the event, at which time the subject pulled a firearm and discharged the weapon in the air. No injuries occurred, and the subject was immediately taken into custody by Lincolnwood Police.

Lincolnwood Police presented the case to the Felony Review Unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution. After reviewing the case, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the subject. The 39-year-old male subject resides in Chicago and is a valid concealed carry license (CCL) holder.” The subject has been released from police custody. The subject’s name is being withheld due to no criminal charges being filed in this incident.”

Here is a video of the shooting from a second angle.

I have not seen a single outlet describe what happened correctly. Some outlets called the guy an “Israeli terrorist,” and others said a “crazed Zionist attempts to shoot up protesters.”

One local “organization” said, “He pulled his firearm and began firing shots in the direction of a pro-Palestine rally.”

This could have gone a few different ways for the concealed carry holder. Although he ended up on the ground while people attacked him, many states say you cannot use deadly force to protect yourself if you were the “initial” aggressor.

Could a different prosecutor have decided he was the initial aggressor since he got out of his car and chased the lady? Fortunately for him, this prosecutor considered his actions self-defense.