Buying a Gun in Illinois

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. 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).