Information
In the Greater Chicago Metro Area, there are no permits issued to allow folks to carry concealed and loaded firearms, except for individuals who are part of the police force or FBI or are officially assisting the federal/state authorities. Out of state permits to carry a concealed firearm are not recognized.
Security guards, Private Investigators, bodyguards, et cetera can not legally carry them concealed in a ready-to-fire state, although they can carry them unconcealed in a ready-to-fire state while actively on duty, or protecting against a forewarned 'active fatal threat', or on their way between work or home (as long as the commute is less than an hour) as per the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, and Locksmith Act of 2004 -- 225 ILCS 447/35‑35(c).
One can carry a firearm with just a FOID card (IE: standard gun permit), as long as the firearm is "in a case" (IE: Concealed and hard to access. A little zip-up bag counts as "a case") and is either unloaded or partially disassembled. Illegal gun carrying/demonstrating/concealment by the public can bring a $200+ fine &/or 6+ months in jail (along with confiscation of the concealed firearm), more if there is threatening involved.
Much like the sale of teflon-coated, hollow-point, or exploding rounds, the sale of silver or silvered rounds is restricted within Chicago, due to silver and silvered rounds being purely for use against potential citizens (IE: If you're buying them, you obviously intend to shoot someone and not go hunting or shoot skeet with them). The customer must provide a police-issued voucher for the purchase of silver/silvered rounds or register the purchase, and the dealer must provide the local police force with records of the sale of any silver/silvered rounds upon request.
Unlike in RL Chicago, the 1983 law preventing the purchase and/or registration of new handguns was never passed.
POSSESSION OF FIREARMS
Long Form
8-20-010 Unlawful to Carry – Exceptions
It shall be unlawful for any person to carry or maintain in any vehicle or about his or her person except when on his or her property or in his or her residence or fixed place of business, any rifle, shotgun, or other firearm; provided, that this section shall not apply to:
- Peace officers or any person summoned by any such officers to assist in making arrests or preserving the peace while he is actually engaged in assisting such officer;
- Wardens, superintendents and keepers of prisons, penitentiaries, jails, and other institutions for the detention of persons accused or convicted of an offense, while in the performance of their official duty or commuting between their homes and places of employment;
- Members of the Armed Services or Reserve Forces of the United States or the Illinois National Guard or the Reserve Officers Training Corps, while in the performance of their official duty;
- Special agents employed by a railroad to perform police functions, or employees of a detective agency, watchman-guard or patrolman agency, licensed by the State of Illinois, while actually engaged in the performance of the duties of their employment or commuting between their homes and places of employment;
- Agents and investigators of the Illinois Crime Investigating Commission authorized by the Commission to carry weapons, while on duty in the course of any investigation for the Commission;
- Manufacture, transportation when the weapons are not immediately accessible to any person, or sale of weapons to persons authorized under law to possess them;
- Members of any club or organization organized for the purpose of practicing shooting at targets upon established target ranges, whether public or private, while such members are using their firearms on such target ranges;
- Duly authorized military or civil organizations while parading, with the special permission of the Governor;
- Licensed hunters or fishermen while engaged in hunting or fishing;
- Transportation of weapons broken down in a nonfunctioning state.
(Prior code § 11.2-1; Amend Coun. J. 7-7-92, p. 19196)
8-20-020 Violation – Penalty
Any person violating the provisions of Section 8-20-010 shall be fined $500.00.
(Prior code § 11.2-2)
8-20-040 Registration of Firearms
- All firearms in the City of Chicago shall be registered in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. It shall be the duty of a person owning or possessing a firearm to cause such firearm to be registered. No person shall within the City of Chicago, possess, harbor, have under his control, transfer, offer for sale, sell, give, deliver, or accept any firearm unless such person is the holder of a valid registration certificate for such firearm. No person shall, within the City of Chicago, possess, harbor, have under his control, transfer, offer for sale, sell, give, deliver, or accept any firearm which is unregisterable under the provisions of this chapter.
- This section shall not apply to:
- Firearms owned or under the direct control or custody of any federal, state or local governmental authority maintained in the course of its official duties;
- Duty-related firearms owned and possessed by peace officers who are not residents of the City of Chicago;
- Duty-related firearms owned or possessed by corrections officers; provided, that such corrections officers are not residents of the City of Chicago;
- Firearms owned, manufactured or processed by licensed manufacturers of firearms, bulk transporters or licensed sellers of firearms at wholesale or retail, provided that such persons have, in addition to any other license required by law, a valid deadly weapons dealer license issued under Chapter 4-144 of this Code;
- Any nonresident of the City of Chicago participating in any lawful recreational firearm-related activity in the city, or on his way to or from such activity in another jurisdiction; provided, that such weapon shall be unloaded and securely wrapped and that his possession or control of such firearm is lawful in the jurisdiction in which he resides;
- Peace officers, while in the course of their official duties, who possess and control any firearm or ammunition issued by their department, bureau or agency in the normal course of business;
- Private security personnel who possess or control any firearm or ammunition within the City of Chicago; provided, that such firearms shall be owned and maintained by the security firm employing such personnel and shall be registered by the security firm in accordance with this chapter;
- Those persons summoned by a peace officer to assist in making an arrest or preserving the peace while actually engaged in assisting the peace officer.
(Prior code § 11.1-2; Amend Coun. J. 7-7-92, p. 19196)
8-20-050 Unregisterable Firearms
No registration certificate shall be issued for any of the following types of firearms:
- Sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short- barreled rifle;
» In-Game, purchase/registration of handguns is still legal «
- Firearms other than handguns, owned or possessed by any person in the City of Chicago prior to the effective date of this chapter which are not validly registered prior to the effective date of this chapter;
- Handguns, except:
- Those validly registered to a current owner in the City of Chicago prior to the effective date of this chapter, and which contain each of the following:
- A safety mechanism to hinder the use of the handgun by unauthorized users. Such devices shall include, but shall not be limited to, trigger locks, combination handle locks, and solenoid use-limitation devices; and
- A load indicator device that provides reasonable warning to potential users such that even users unfamiliar with the weapon would be forewarned and would understand the nature of the warning;
- Those owned by peace officers who are residents of the City of Chicago,
- Those owned by security personnel,
- Those owned by private detective agencies licensed under Chapter 111.2601, et seq., Illinois Revised Statutes;
» In-Game, purchase/registration of handguns is still legal «
- Firearm muffler or silencer;
- Assault weapons, as defined in Section 8-20-0301, unless they are owned by a person who is entitled to own them under Section 8-24-025.
Any person who receives through inheritance any firearm validly registered pursuant to this chapter will be eligible to reregister such firearm within 60 days after obtaining possession or title, provided such person shall be qualified to do so in accordance with this chapter.
(Prior code § 11.1-3; Amend Coun. J. 7-7-92, p. 19196; Amend Coun. J. 2-7-97, p. 38729)
8-24-025 Assault Weapons or Ammunition: Sale Prohibited - Exceptions
- (a) No person shall sell, offer or display for sale, give, lend, transfer ownership of, acquire or possess any assault weapon or assault ammunition, as those terms are defined in Chapter 8-20 of this code. This section shall not apply to any officer, agent, or employee of this or any other municipality or state or of the United States, members of the armed forces of the United States, or the organized militia of this or any other state, and peace officers as defined in this code to the extent that any such person is otherwise authorized to acquire or possess an assault weapon or assault ammunition and is acting within the scope of his or her duties. In addition, this section shall not apply to the acquisition or possession of assault ammunition by persons employed to provide security for armored carriers or mobile check cashing services while in the course of such duties, while commuting directly to or from the person's place of employment, and while at the person's home, if the assault ammunition:
- (1) is acquired or possessed for the use with a weapon that the person has been authorized to carry under Section 28 of the Illinois Private Detective, Private Alarm and Private Security Act of 1983; and
- (2) consists of an ammunition magazine that has a capacity of 15 or fewer rounds of ammunition.
- (b) Any assault weapon or assault ammunition possessed, sold or transferred in violation of subsection (a) is hereby declared to be contraband and shall be seized and disposed of in accordance with the provisions of Section 8-20-220.
- (c) Any person found in violation of this section shall be sentenced to not more than six months imprisonment or fined not less than $500.00 and not more than $1,000.00 or both.
- (d) Any person who, prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section, was legally in possession of an assault weapon or assault ammunition prohibited by this section shall have 14 days from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section to do any of the following without being subject to prosecution hereunder:
- To remove the assault weapon or ammunition from within the limits of the city of Chicago; or
- To modify the assault weapon either to render it permanently inoperable or to permanently make it a device no longer defined as an assault weapon; or
- To surrender the assault weapon or ammunition to the superintendent of police or his designee for disposal in accordance with Section 8-20-220.
(Added C.J. 7-7-92, p. 19196; Amend. C.J. 7-29-92, p. 20068; 9-14-94, p. 56287)
Illinois State Requirements (since April 1982)
Rifles and Shotguns
- Permit to purchase rifles and shotguns? FOID Required *
- Registration of rifles and shotguns? No **
- Licensing of owners of rifles and shotguns? FOID Required *
- Permit to carry rifles and shotguns? FOID Required *
Handguns
- Permit to purchase handgun? FOID Required *
- Registration of handguns? No **
- Licensing of owners of handguns? FOID Required *
- Permit to carry handguns? No ***
* Subject to municipal control. Handguns have been banned in some municipalities.
** The state of Illinois does not require registration, while the city of Chicago does require registration of all firearms.
*** Carrying a concealed weapon is prohibited entirely. A FOID is required to transport an unconcealed handgun. See "Carrying."
Purchase
A buyer is required to show his Firearms Owner’s Identification Card (FOID) when purchasing any firearms or ammunition. Any seller is required to withhold delivery of any handgun for 72 hours, and of any rifle or shotgun for 24 hours, after the buyer and seller reach an agreement to purchase a firearm.
The waiting period does not apply to a buyer who is a dealer, law enforcement officer, or a nonresident at a gun show recognized by the Illinois Department of State Police.
The seller must retain for 10 years a record of the transfer, including a description of the firearm (including serial number), the identity of the buyer, and the buyer’s FOID number.
A federally licensed dealer must contact the Department of State Police for a background check, for which there is a $2.00 fee. Any sales at gun shows, including dealers and private parties, must contact the state police for a background check.
Private parties selling firearms at gun shows must ensure the buyer has a FOID card and the buyer must undergo a background check. It is unlawful to sell or give any handgun to a person under 18, or any firearm to a person who is not eligible to obtain a FOID.
Requirements for FOID
Application for a FOID is made to the Illinois State Police, FOID, P. O. Box 19233, Springfield, IL 62794-9233. Application forms can be obtained online at http://www.isp.state.il.us An applicant is entitled to a FOID if he:
- Is over 21 years of age. If under 21, he must have the written consent of his parent or guardian. In such case, the guardian himself must not be ineligible for a FOID, and the applicant must never have been convicted of a misdemeanor or adjudged a delinquent.
- Has never been convicted of a felony.
- Is not a narcotics addict.
- Has not been a patient in a mental hospital in the preceding five years.
- Is not mentally retarded.
- Is not an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States.
- Is not subject to an existing order of protection prohibiting the possession of a firearm.
- Has not been convicted within the past 5 years of battery, assault, aggravated assault, violation of an order of protection, or a substantially similar offense in another jurisdiction, in which a firearm was used or possessed.
- Has not been convicted of domestic battery or a substantially similar offense in another jurisdiction committed on or after January 1, 1998.
- Has not been convicted within the past five years of domestic battery or a substantially similar offense in another jurisdiction committed before January 1, 1998.
An applicant for a FOID must consent to the Department using the applicant's digital driver's license or Illinois ID card photograph, if available, and signature on the FOID, and must furnish the Department with his driver's license or Illinois ID card number.
The Department must approve or deny the FOID within 30 days and is authorized to deny the FOID only if the applicant does not meet the listed qualifications. The FOID is valid for five years from the date of issuance. The Department shall forward to each FOID holder, a notice of expiration and a renewal notice application, 60 days prior to expiration.
A FOID may be revoked and seized if the holder made a false statement on the application, is no longer eligible, or whose mental condition poses a clear and present danger to self, others, or community.
Possession
- It is unlawful to possess any firearm or ammunition without a valid FOID.
- It is unlawful for any person under the age of 18 to possess a handgun, or concealable firearm.
- It is unlawful for any person to possess any firearm with intent to use it unlawfully against another.
- It is unlawful to possess any rifle having one or more barrels less than 16" in length or a shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18" in length or any weapon made from a rifle or shotgun, if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches.
- It is unlawful to possess any firearm in any place licensed to sell intoxicating beverages, or at any public gathering (except a gun show) at which an admission is charged. An exception is provided for the owner, manager or an authorized employee of the establishments.
- It is unlawful for the following persons to possess a firearm or ammunition:
- Under 21 who has been adjudged delinquent or been convicted of a misdemeanor other than a traffic offense.
- Narcotic addicts.
- Within the past five years has been a patient in a mental hospital.
- Mentally retarded.
- Convicted felon.
- A person with a FOID card can loan a gun to a non-FOID card owner as long as the gun was used at a range and under the supervision of the owner.
- It is unlawful to possess firearms or ammunition at schools. Exempt include students in firearm training courses, parades, hunting, target shooting on school ranges.
Note: In Chicago it is unlawful to keep any firearm unless it has been registered with the Chicago Police.
Carrying (Residents Only)
It is unlawful to carry or possess any firearm in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person, except on one's land or or fixed place of business.
It is unlawful to carry or possess any firearm on any public street or other public lands within the corporate limits of a city, village, or incorporated town, except when: an invitee thereon or therein, for the purpose of the display of firearms or the lawful commerce in firearms.
Exceptions are persons using their firearms on established target ranges; licensed hunters, trappers, or fishermen while engaged in their licensed activity and/or transportation of firearms that are broken down in a non-functioning state or are not immediately accessible, and transportation, carrying, or possession of a firearm which is unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container, by the possessor of a valid FOID.
Under the Wildlife Code, it is unlawful to have or carry any firearm in or on any vehicle or conveyance unless unloaded and enclosed in a case.
Miscellaneous
It is unlawful for any person to store or leave a firearm if the person knows or has reason to believe that a minor under the age of 14 years who does not have a FOID is likely to gain access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the parent, guardian, or person having charge of the minor, and the minor causes death or great bodily harm with the firearm, unless the firearm is:
- Secured by a device or mechanism, other than the firearm safety, designed to render a firearm temporarily inoperable, or
- Placed in a securely locked box or container, or
- Placed in some other location that a reasonable person would believe to be secure from a minor.
Bounty Hunters
A statute enacted in 1963 designed to eliminate commercial bail bond industry: See Schilb v. Kuebel, 264 N.E.2d 377, 380 (Ill. 1970), aff'd 404 U.S. 357 (1971); Ill. Stat. Ch. 725 §§ 5/110-7, 5/110-8.
"No bail bondsman from any state may seize or transport unwillingly any person found in this State who is allegedly in violation of a bail bond posted in some other state."
Ill. Stat. Ch. 725 § 5/103-9.
From: http://www.americanbailcoalition.com/new_html/Bounty%20Hunter%20Laws.htm
- Please note that this does not restrict those who track down fugitive preternatural suspects/criminals (IE: Executioners). A preternatural citizen who has either jumped bail or didn't appear in court is generally deemed "kill-worthy" by the federal court system, and thus is out of the scope of a standard conventional bounty hunter (since there's no bounty reward — the court just wants the magic-slinging fugitive dead for the public's safety).
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“Assault weapon” means any of the following weapons:
- Assault Rifles
- AK 47 type
- AK 47S type
- AK 74 type
- AKS type
- AKM type
- AKMS type
- 84S1 type
- Arm type
- 84S1 type
- 84S3 type
- HK91 type
- HK93 type
- HK94 type
- G3SA type
- K1 type
- K2 type
- AR100 type
- M24S type
- SIG 550SP type
- SIG 551SP type
- Australian Automatic Arms
- SAR type
- SKS type with detachable magazine
- Colt AR-15
- Springfield Armory SAR-48
- Springfield Armory BM-59
- Bushmaster Auto Rifle
- Auto-Ordinance Thompson M1
- Ruger Mini 14/5F
- Federal XC-900 and XC-450
- Feather AT-9 Auto Carbine
- Goncz High Tech Carbine
- Auto-Ordinance Thompson 1927A1
- Iver Johnson PM30 P Paratrooper
- 86S type
- 86S7 type
- 87S type
- Galil type
- Type 56 type
- Type 565 type
- Valmet M76 type
- Valmet M78 type
- M76 counter sniper type
- FAL type
- L1A1A type
- SAR 48 type
- AUG type
- FNC type
- Uzi carbine
- Algimec AGMI type
- AR180 type
- MAS 223 type
- Beretta BM59 type
- Beretta AR70 type
- CIS SR88 type
- Assault Pistols
- Uzi type
- Heckler & Koch Sp-89 type
- Australian Automatic Arms SAP type
- Spectre Auto type
- Sterling Mark 7 type; and
- Any weapon that the superintendent of police defines by regulation as an assault weapon because the design or operation of such weapon is inappropriate for lawful use.
