Illinois Gun Laws: Concealed Carry, Open Carry and Buying a Gun

No. Carrying a pistol, revolver or other firearm in a vehicle or concealed on the person (and carrying one on public streets or lands in a city, village or town) is unlawful except on one's own land, abode or fixed place of business, as an invitee in another's home or land with permission, or when carried under an Illinois concealed carry license. Carrying an uncased, loaded, immediately accessible handgun without a license is aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon. Residents must also hold a valid Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card to acquire or possess firearms or ammunition.

Illinois Concealed Carry License, issued by the Illinois State Police (ISP). The statute says ISP 'shall issue' a license to an applicant who meets the qualifications, applies and pays the fee, and is not found by the Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board to pose a danger to self or others or a threat to public safety. Qualifications: at least 21 years old; a valid FOID card and eligibility under the FOID Act and federal law; no conviction in the past 5 years of a misdemeanor involving the use or threat of physical force or violence, and no 2 or more DUI violations in the past 5 years; no pending arrest warrant, prosecution or proceeding that could disqualify; no residential or court-ordered alcohol or drug treatment in the past 5 years; and required training. Any law enforcement agency may object based on reasonable suspicion of danger; ISP must object if the applicant has 5 or more arrests in the prior 7 years, or 3 or more for gang-related offenses. Training: at least 16 hours, including a 30-round live-fire qualification (up to 8 hours of credit for approved prior training); renewal requires at least 3 hours. Fee: $150 for a new license or renewal ($300 for non-residents). A license is valid for 5 years. ISP must issue or deny within 90 days of a completed application (30 more days if submitted without fingerprints).

Not allowed. The concealed carry license lets a licensee carry a loaded or unloaded handgun 'fully concealed or partially concealed'; the Act defines a concealed firearm as a handgun carried 'completely or mostly concealed from view of the public' (or within a vehicle). Illinois has no license for open carry, and carrying a firearm on public streets or lands within a city, village or town, or in a vehicle or concealed, is unlawful outside the listed exceptions.

A FOID card is required to receive any firearm or ammunition (or a concealed carry license, which requires age 21). A FOID applicant must be 21 or older, or, if under 21, have never been convicted of a misdemeanor other than a traffic offense or adjudged delinquent and either have written consent from a parent or legal guardian who is not barred from holding a FOID card or be an active-duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces or Illinois National Guard. It is a crime to sell or give a firearm of a size that may be concealed on the person to anyone under 18; to sell or give any firearm to anyone under 18 who does not have a valid FOID card; or to sell or give any firearm to a person under 21 who has been convicted of a misdemeanor other than a traffic offense or adjudged delinquent. These rules apply to private sellers as well as dealers.

Yes. A private seller who is not a federally licensed dealer must, before transferring a firearm to another non-dealer, either have a federally licensed dealer conduct the transfer (the dealer runs a background check; the dealer may charge up to $25 per firearm plus check fees) or contact the Illinois State Police with the buyer's FOID card number so ISP can determine whether the card is valid under state and federal law, including the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. ISP gives the seller an approval number if the card is valid; approvals are valid for 30 days. A private seller at a gun show must have ISP run a background check. Exceptions include bona fide gifts to listed close relatives, transfers by operation of law or court order, and gunsmith repairs. A buyer in a private transfer must give a record of the transfer to a federally licensed dealer within 10 days; sellers must keep transfer records for 10 years.

72 hours for any firearm. Delivery of a firearm incidental to a sale must be withheld for at least 72 hours after application for its purchase, meaning when the buyer and seller reach an agreement to purchase; stun guns and tasers have a 24-hour wait. The rule applies to handguns and long guns alike. Exceptions include sales to law enforcement officers, certain security guards, federally licensed dealers, mail-order sales to out-of-state dealers for non-residents, and long-gun sales by dealers to registered competitors at World Shooting Complex events.

Yes, the Firearms Restraining Order Act. A petition may be filed by a family member of the respondent (spouse, former spouse, person with a minor child in common, parent, child, step-child, other relative by blood or present marriage, or a person sharing a common dwelling) or by a law enforcement officer. An emergency order is issued ex parte if the judge finds probable cause of an immediate and present danger; the court must schedule a full hearing within 14 days, and may extend the emergency order for no more than 14 days. A plenary order requires clear and convincing evidence that the respondent poses a significant danger and lasts at least 6 months and up to one year; a hearing on a plenary petition must be ordered within 30 days. The petitioner may seek renewal within the 3 months before expiration, for up to one more year at a time; the respondent may submit one written request during the order to terminate it.

Yes. Since January 10, 2023 (Public Act 102-1116, the Protect Illinois Communities Act), it is unlawful to manufacture, deliver, sell, import or purchase an assault weapon, assault weapon attachment or .50 caliber rifle or cartridge, and since January 1, 2024 to possess one, unless the person lawfully owned it before the Act and filed an endorsement affidavit with ISP before January 1, 2024. A large capacity ammunition feeding device holds more than 10 rounds for long guns or more than 15 rounds for handguns; sale and purchase are banned, and possession has been banned since 90 days after January 10, 2023, except for devices lawfully owned before January 10, 2023, which may be possessed only on private property, at a licensed range or competition, at a dealer or gunsmith for repair, or while traveling between those places unloaded and in a case. Court status: a federal district court enjoined the Act, but on July 9, 2026 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed in Barnett v. Raoul, upholding the restrictions on AR-15s and thirty-round rifle magazines; the challengers' deadline to seek U.S. Supreme Court review was extended to December 4, 2026.

Without a concealed carry license, a firearm may be carried in a vehicle only if it is broken down in a non-functioning state, not immediately accessible, or unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box or other container by a person with a valid FOID card. A licensee may keep or carry a loaded or unloaded concealed handgun within a vehicle and may store it in a case in a locked vehicle in most prohibited-area parking lots. A non-resident who is not barred by federal law and is eligible to carry in public under home-state law (with a home-state license, if applicable) may transport a concealed firearm within the vehicle; if the vehicle is left unattended, the firearm must be stored in the locked vehicle or a locked container within it.

None. Illinois has no provision recognizing other states' carry licenses. Non-residents may transport a concealed firearm within their vehicle if eligible to carry under home-state law. ISP must allow non-resident license applications from states whose firearm laws are 'substantially similar' to Illinois's; ISP lists Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas and Virginia.

A licensee may not knowingly carry a firearm on or into: elementary and secondary schools; pre-schools and child care facilities; buildings and parking areas under the control of an officer of the executive or legislative branch (except Department of Natural Resources parks and hunting areas where allowed); court buildings; buildings of units of local government; jails, prisons and detention centers; hospitals, mental health facilities and nursing homes; publicly funded buses, trains and transit facilities; establishments where more than 50% of gross receipts in the prior 3 months come from alcohol; permitted public gatherings and special events, and premises during special-event liquor licenses; public playgrounds; municipal or park-district parks and athletic facilities; Cook County Forest Preserve property; colleges and universities; casinos, racetracks and off-track wagering sites; stadiums, arenas and collegiate or professional sporting events; public libraries; airports; amusement parks; zoos and museums; nuclear facilities; and areas where federal law bans firearms. Private property owners (other than residences) may ban carry by posting the ISP-approved 4 by 6 inch sign. Except at nuclear sites and federal no-gun areas, a licensee may carry in a vehicle into a prohibited location's parking area and store the firearm in a case in the locked vehicle.

Yes. It is unlawful to sell, offer to sell or transfer an unserialized unfinished frame or receiver or unserialized firearm, including 3D-printed ones, except to a federal firearms importer, manufacturer or dealer. Beginning 180 days after May 18, 2022, it is unlawful to possess, purchase, transport or receive a firearm that lacks a serial number from a federal importer or manufacturer or from a federal licensee under the state serialization process, or to possess an unfinished frame or receiver that is not serialized (with limited exceptions). Serialization must be done by a federally licensed dealer or other authorized federal licensee using the licensee's abbreviated license number as a prefix; the licensee must confirm the owner's FOID card before returning the firearm. Exceptions include permanently inoperable and antique firearms, guns made before October 22, 1968, and inherited items for up to 30 days. Possession violations are a Class A misdemeanor (Class 3 felony for a repeat); sale or transfer violations are a Class 4 felony (Class 2 felony for a repeat).