Gun Laws

Current Gun Laws

Relative to neighboring states, Illinois has passed some important laws to restrict access to illegal guns. However, there are many evidence-back protections Illinois law does not provide. We provide an overview of current Illinois gun laws below, for more in-depth information, please read our factsheet, made in partnership with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Download Illinois Gun Law Fact Sheet

Illinois has strong gun laws relative to many other states; however, weak laws in neighboring states lead to a large flow of illegally trafficked guns into Illinois, many of which are involved in acts of gun violence across the state. Illinois provides many protections to its residents through the following laws and policies:

Universal background checks
Gun owner licensing
Domestic violence gun laws
Waiting periods
Open carry regulations
Minimum age laws
Extreme risk protection orders
Community violence intervention funding
Mandated lost and stolen firearm reporting
Child access prevention laws
Safe storage laws

But Illinois is missing some critical regulations to ensure the law effectively protects residents from violence:

No firearm registration system
No assault weapons restrictions
No large capacity magazine ban
No bulk firearm purchase restriction

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