Buying a Handgun in Illinois:
Step-by-Step

Purchasing a handgun in Illinois requires meeting both state and federal requirements. This guide covers each step of the process, from prerequisites to taking the handgun home.^[1]

Prerequisites

Before you can buy a handgun in Illinois, you must have:

• Generally, a valid FOID card or Concealed Carry License issued by the Illinois State Police
• A government-issued identification document showing your name, residence address, date of birth, and photograph
• Check age eligibility with the dealer. DOJ's September 17, 2026 OLC opinion rejects the federal handgun-sale restrictions for otherwise law-abiding adults aged 18 to 20, but Illinois requirements and dealer implementation must be checked separately. Read the OLC opinion

Persons aged 18 to 20 with a FOID card may possess a handgun obtained through private transfer or gift. On September 17, 2026, DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the federal handgun-sale restrictions in 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1) and (c)(1) are unconstitutional as applied to otherwise law-abiding adults aged 18 to 20. This is an executive-branch legal opinion. It does not amend Illinois law or establish how an Illinois dealer currently processes a purchase. Read the OLC opinion.^[2]

Step 1: Select a Handgun at a Licensed Dealer

Visit a dealer that holds both a Federal Firearms License and an Illinois Firearm Dealer License Certification (FDLC). When you find the handgun you want, inform the dealer you would like to begin the purchase process. The dealer will ask to see your valid FOID card or Illinois Concealed Carry License and a government-issued photo ID.^[3]

Step 2: Complete ATF Form 4473

The dealer will have you fill out ATF Form 4473 (Firearms Transaction Record). Licensed dealers generally must record firearm sales to buyers who are not licensees on this form. Answer every question truthfully. Knowingly making a false statement about information required on Form 4473 is a federal felony.

Step 3: FTIP Background Check

The dealer submits your information to the Illinois State Police Firearms Transfer Inquiry Program (FTIP). As the Illinois Point of Contact for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, the ISP runs the background check itself and searches:^[4]

• Illinois criminal history records
• FBI/NICS databases
• Department of Human Services files (mental health and developmental disability records)

You may submit fingerprints to ISP for your FOID account through a licensed live scan vendor for potential automatic renewals.^[5]

Step 4: Wait 72 Hours

Illinois law generally requires a 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases, including handguns, subject to statutory exceptions. The waiting period begins when you and the seller reach an agreement to purchase the firearm. Unless a statutory waiting-period exception applies, the dealer cannot release the handgun until 72 hours after the purchase agreement, even if the FTIP check is approved sooner.^[6]

Step 5: Pick Up Your Handgun

After the 72-hour waiting period and background check approval, return to the dealer to take possession. Bring your FOID card and photo ID. The dealer will complete the transfer paperwork and release the handgun to you.

Buying a Handgun Through a Private Sale

For a private handgun purchase outside a gun show, state law generally allows two channels:^[7]

• Through an FFL: The seller and buyer bring the handgun to a licensed dealer, who runs the FTIP background check and processes the transfer
• Direct FOID verification: The seller verifies the buyer's FOID card through the ISP portal at verify.ispfsb.com and obtains an ISP approval number before transferring the handgun

Unless a statutory exception applies, the 72-hour waiting period applies to either channel. The seller must retain a record of the transfer for at least 10 years, including the application and transfer dates, the firearm description and serial number, the buyer's FOID card number, and the ISP approval number or documentation. For a transfer through direct FOID verification, the buyer must provide a record of the transfer to a federally licensed firearm dealer within 10 days of the transfer and is not required to maintain a transfer record. The dealer must maintain that record for 20 years from the date of receipt.^[7]

PICA Magazine Restrictions

Under the Protect Illinois Communities Act, selling or purchasing handgun magazines that hold more than 15 rounds is generally prohibited, subject to statutory exceptions. Unless a statutory exception permits the transfer, if the handgun you are purchasing comes with a magazine that holds more than 15 rounds, the dealer must replace it with a compliant magazine or remove the non-compliant one before transferring the firearm to you.^[8]

After the Purchase

• Transport: Without a Concealed Carry License (CCL), transport the handgun unloaded and enclosed in a case. Illinois law does not require ammunition to be stored separately. For a person eligible for federal FOPA protection traveling between places where possession and carry are lawful, the firearm must be unloaded and neither the firearm nor ammunition may be readily accessible or directly accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver's compartment, the firearm or ammunition must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
• Storage: Illinois's Safe Gun Storage Act (430 ILCS 64) requires a locked container, properly engaged so as to render the firearm inaccessible or unusable to anyone other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user, when an owner knows or reasonably should know that a minor without lawful permission from a parent, guardian, or person having charge of the minor, an at-risk person, or a prohibited person is likely to gain access. A firearm carried by or under the control of its owner or another lawfully authorized user is deemed lawfully stored. The storage requirement does not apply if a minor, an at-risk person, or a prohibited person gains access to the firearm and uses it in lawful self-defense or defense of another, or obtains it because of unlawful entry into the premises. The separate criminal child-access statute is 720 ILCS 5/24-9.
• Concealed carry: You generally need a separate CCL to carry a loaded, concealed handgun, with exceptions including your own land, home, or fixed place of business and another person's land or legal dwelling where you are an invitee with permission. A new CCL generally requires 16 hours of approved training and a live-fire qualification, subject to statutory training credits and exemptions, plus a $150 application fee.

See also: Buying a Rifle or Shotgun in Illinois

See also: Private Sale Record-Keeping: 10-Year Retention