Gun laws in Illinois

The state police issue licenses for the concealed carry of handguns to qualified applicants age 21 or older who pass a 16-hour training course.

However, any law enforcement agency can object to an individual being granted a license "based upon a reasonable suspicion that the applicant is a danger to himself or herself or others, or a threat to public safety".

When a firearm is being transported by a person without a concealed carry license, it must be unloaded and enclosed in a case, or broken down in a non-functioning state, or not immediately accessible.

Law enforcement officers, school administrators, physicians, and mental health professionals can file a clear and present danger report with the Department of Human Services and Illinois State Police, which will revoke the FOID of a person who communicates a serious threat of physical violence or demonstrates threatening physical or verbal behavior.

[4] On February 14, 2018, in a ruling that applies only to the defendant, a circuit court in Illinois found that the requirement to obtain a FOID in order to acquire or possess a firearm is unconstitutional.

[16][17] The Illinois State Police Department issues licenses for the concealed carry of handguns to qualified applicants age 21 or older who pass a 16-hour training course.

[10][18][19] Under revised rules implemented in July 2014, the Review Board notifies the applicant by mail of the basis of the objection and identifies the agency that brought it.

Prior to February 2017, the Illinois State Police considered only Hawaii, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Virginia to qualify as substantially similar.

[10][18] Concealed carry is prohibited on public transportation, at a bar or restaurant that gets more than half its revenue from the sale of alcohol, at a public gathering or special event that requires a permit (e.g. a street fair or festival), at a place where alcohol is sold for special events, and on private property where the owner has chosen not to allow it (and, unless the property is a private residence, has posted an appropriate sign).

[10][18] On February 1, 2018, the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state's ban on possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a public park was unconstitutional.

[27] On June 14, 2018, the Illinois Appellate Court ruled the law banning carrying firearms within 1,000 feet of a school to be unconstitutional.

[29] In accordance with federal law, persons who have been convicted of a felony, or of a misdemeanor act of domestic violence, are ineligible to receive a concealed carry license.

[30] There are other conditions that make an applicant ineligible under state law, including having been a patient in a mental health facility in the last five years.

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in the case of Moore v. Madigan, ruled that Illinois' concealed carry ban was unconstitutional, and gave the state 180 days to change its laws.

[41][42] On September 12, 2013, the Illinois Supreme Court, in the case of People v. Aguilar, also ruled that the state's Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon law, which completely prohibited concealed carry, was unconstitutional.

[45] Article 1 section 22 of the Illinois Constitution states, "Subject only to the police power, the right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

[61] On August 11, 2023, in a 4–3 decision, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the assault weapons ban does not violate the state constitution.

[54][55][56] The magazine capacity restrictions are part of the same law, passed on January 10, 2023, that barred the sale of assault weapons, and are subject to the same legal challenges described above.

Regarding Title II weapons, the possession of automatic firearms (such as machine guns), short-barreled shotguns, and suppressors is prohibited.

The use of force is justified when a person reasonably believes that it is necessary "to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or another, or the commission of a forcible felony."

[80][81] Illinois has a red flag law that allows family members, police, or state's attorneys to petition a judge to issue an order to confiscate the firearms of a person deemed an immediate and present danger to themselves or others.

[4][82] Building, selling, or possessing privately made firearms without serial numbers – so-called "ghost guns" – is banned in Illinois.

The store must have surveillance equipment, maintain an electronic inventory, establish anti-theft measures, and require employees to receive training annually.

[84] In August 2023 Illinois passed a law banning the advertising of guns in a way that targets minors or encourages illegal paramilitary activity.

[87] It is illegal to sell, import, or manufacture a handgun "having a barrel, slide, frame or receiver which is a die casting of zinc alloy or any other nonhomogeneous metal which will melt or deform at a temperature of less than 800 degrees Fahrenheit."

The storage or transportation of assault weapons is restricted in Morton Grove, Winnetka, Country Club Hills, and University Park.

[120][121] In December 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case of Friedman v. Highland Park, a challenge to that city's assault weapons ban.

[139][140] In the months following the Heller decision, handgun bans were repealed in the suburbs of Wilmette,[141] Morton Grove,[142] Evanston,[143] and Winnetka,[144] but Chicago and Oak Park kept their laws in effect.

[4][154] On March 21, 2019, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the ban on carrying Tasers or stun guns in public violated the Second Amendment and was therefore unconstitutional.