Thanks to long-timer Mark Spahn of West Seneca, New York—who suffers under the illusion that the Czar is the proprietor here and not a mere contributor—we heard back from Professor Eugue Volokh himself on the subject of intentionally posting improper “No Concealed Carry” signs on Illinois property as a way to shut up the anti-gun crowd while surreptitiously winking at concealed carriers that they are welcome.

Anyway, he wishes us all to note that Illinois law does permit a property owner to incorporate the legal requierments of the signage within a larger display or context. In other words, you can put the 4″ x 6″ sign within a much larger sign. Yes, the 4″ x 6″ requirements must still be met, but a concealed carrier must recognize that just because the sign itself is larger than the requirement does not mean the sign is invalid.

For example, a store owner can take the official 4″ x 6″ sign and put it on a larger poster board, along with all sorts of stuff around it (store hours, website address, whatever). As long as the official sign is present (and per usual in an easily seen space near the entrance), the sign is valid. Anyone bringing a firearm past that sign is asking for trouble.

Thanks, gentlemen, for the addition. Here are a bunch of signs you might see around Illinois; only one of them is valid.

	VALID (and may be incorporated in whole within a larger sign)
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID
	INVALID

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.