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Thanks everyone for the replies.

Yeah, I too had read the law on concealment but thought I'd get other opinions. My thought is that it does not violate the law, since the handgun is not discernible or displayed (an empty container looks the same as a loaded container), but just like when I was a teenage it would probably draw unwanted interest.

To clarify on the time when I was 14, my friend and I were walking from one friend's house to another in our subdivision. I wasn't doing anything other than walking and talking, but I was a teenager and I think the officer had never seen a guitar gig bag (but had seen plenty of rifle cases). This was in Illinois, and there I think it's illegal for a minor to be in possession of any firearm without direct adult supervision regardless of whether the minor has a FOID card.

BTW, this thread did get me thinking about expectations and assumptions. If one were to carry a rifle around town in a sling bag, I think I would get a guitar-shaped case that say "Gibson Guitars" on the side.

Thanks again!

So, I'm trying to understand one thing about concealed carry that I haven't found yet; perhaps someone can help? Does concealed mean that it's hidden from view (i.e. not visible / not printing) or that no one suspects you're carrying? While I believe the best approach in normal situations is such that no one suspects you're carrying, I am curious what is actually required.

Perhaps some scenarios will clarify my question: imagine a zippered, drop-leg / thigh pouch, maybe even in camo colors. The gun doesn't print; one has any way of knowing if there is or is not a firearm in the pouch, but it looks like something that holds firearm.

As a similar situation, one day when I was a teenage, I was walking in my neighborhood with a friend and carrying my electric guitar in a black, soft-sided case slung over my back. For anyone who is not familiar with soft guitar cases I've attached an image, but basically it looks a lot like a rifle case. A police officer saw us, asked what was in the bag, and then commanded me to open the bag (he didn't believe me when I said "a guitar"). He appeared honestly surprised that there was a guitar in the bag. It's the same situation; it looked like something that's used to carry firearm, but the only way to know for sure was to actually look inside.

So what's required by law? Thanks in advance for the opinions and insight!