Illinois - IL Gun Laws

Illinois requires a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card before you can legally buy, possess, or transport any firearm or ammunition, full stop, there's no exception for keeping a gun you already own or inheriting one from a relative. You must be 21, or under 21 with a qualifying parent/guardian as a sponsor. The card costs $10 and lasts 10 years. Starting January 1, 2026, applicants also need to provide an Alien Registration Number, I-94 Admission Number, or USCIS Number as part of eligibility verification.

Every purchase from a dealer still runs through the standard federal background check on top of your FOID.

Before any private transfer, the seller has to run the buyer's FOID number and date of birth through the Illinois State Police's online verification portal, this checks state criminal history, FBI/NICS records, and state mental health records, and returns an approval number that has to be kept with the transfer paperwork.

A mandatory waiting period applies on top of that: 72 hours for handguns, 24 hours for long guns, counted from when the agreement to purchase is made, not from the FOID check itself. Transfers as a genuine gift between qualifying family members (spouse, parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, in-laws) are exempt from both the FOID verification and the waiting period.

On top of federal disqualifiers, Illinois will deny, suspend, or revoke a FOID card for anyone who:

- Has a mental condition determined to pose a clear and present danger to themselves, others, or the community

- Has a developmental disability

- Has a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction

- Is subject to a Firearms Restraining Order (Illinois's red flag law), a domestic violence order of protection, a stalking no-contact order, or a civil no-contact order, issued in Illinois or any other jurisdiction

- Falls under the standard federal categories

A Firearms Restraining Order can be petitioned by law enforcement or family members when someone poses a significant danger, and it blocks purchase and possession of firearms, ammunition, and even firearm parts that could be assembled into a working gun.

Not legal for civilians under any circumstances. Illinois doesn't have an open carry pathway, whether or not you hold a FOID card or a Concealed Carry License, carrying visibly in public is illegal.

You need a Concealed Carry License (CCL) on top of your FOID card. Getting one requires:

- 16 hours of state-police-approved training, covering safety, marksmanship, care and cleaning, Illinois and federal law, and interacting with law enforcement while carrying

- A live-fire qualification: 30 rounds total, fired from 5, 7, and 10 yards

- $150 for residents ($300 for non-residents), plus fingerprinting

- Processing time of 90 days with fingerprints submitted, 120 days without

You must be 21. There is no permitless carry option in Illinois.

Without a CCL: your firearm has to be broken down and non-functioning, not immediately accessible, or unloaded and enclosed in a case or container, and you need a valid FOID card regardless.

With a valid CCL: you're allowed to keep a loaded or unloaded concealed firearm on your person or in the vehicle under the terms of your license.

Illinois's concealed carry law bars a long list of locations even with a valid CCL: schools and child care facilities (including parking lots and athletic fields, K-12 public and private), government buildings, courts, correctional facilities, hospitals and mental health facilities, public transportation, any establishment where more than half of sales come from alcohol, public gatherings and special events, places with a special liquor license, public parks/playgrounds/athletic facilities, Cook County Forest Preserve property, colleges and universities, gaming facilities, public libraries, and airports.

If you're parked at a school, you can keep a firearm locked in your vehicle out of sight, that's the narrow exception. A first violation is a Class B misdemeanor; a second is Class A and can suspend your license for up to 6 months; three or more violations mean permanent revocation.

You must be 18 to possess a handgun in Illinois, full stop. For a FOID card itself (needed for any firearm or ammo), a minor can apply with a parent or legal guardian as a notarized sponsor, provided that sponsor is themselves eligible for a FOID card.

⚠️ Actively contested as of this writing. Illinois bans a defined list of "assault weapons" and magazines over certain capacities under the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA, 2023). This law has been through a genuine legal rollercoaster: a federal district court ruled it unconstitutional in November 2024, but the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that in a 2-1 ruling on July 9, 2026, restoring statewide enforcement. The fight is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court later in 2026.

As of this writing, PICA is fully in effect and being enforced, treat this as the most likely section on this page to change again with real notice needed.

Illinois doesn't have a formal stand-your-ground statute, but Illinois Supreme Court case law has established that there's no duty to retreat when facing a threat of death or great bodily harm, even in public. Practically, that functions similarly to stand-your-ground in many situations, just built through court rulings rather than a single law.

Castle Doctrine applies inside your home, no duty to retreat there. Notably, Illinois has not extended that protection to your vehicle or workplace the way some states do, it's specifically tied to your residence.

Illinois only preempts local regulation of concealed carry itself, the Firearm Concealed Carry Act sets one statewide standard for carrying and blocks municipalities from making their own carry rules. Everything else is fair game locally, and Chicago and Cook County take full advantage of that: expect additional local ordinances, including their own assault weapons restrictions and storage requirements, on top of whatever applies statewide. Don't assume Chicago follows the same rules as downstate Illinois.

- Illinois State Police, Firearm Owner's Identification / Concealed Carry Licensing: isp.illinois.gov/Foid

- FOID/CCL Verification Portal (private transfers): verify.ispfsb.com

- Illinois State Police Office of Firearms Safety: isp.illinois.gov/FirearmsSafety

- ATF: for federal NFA questions, note Illinois bans suppressors outright at the state level regardless of federal approval, the only state with a complete ban