Karina's Law, signed by Governor Pritzker in February 2025 and effective May 11, 2025, addresses a critical gap in the enforcement of firearm surrender requirements for individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders. The law mandates that when a subject does not voluntarily surrender firearms, law enforcement must petition a judge for a search warrant and then confiscate firearms within 96 hours of receiving the warrant, creating a firm timeline where previously there was often significant delay or inconsistent enforcement.[1]
The Problem the Law Addresses
Under existing Illinois law, individuals subject to orders of protection are already prohibited from possessing firearms. The FOID Act (430 ILCS 65) lists an active order of protection as a disqualifying condition, and 430 ILCS 65/9.5 requires the Illinois State Police to revoke the FOID card of any person who becomes subject to such an order. Upon revocation, the cardholder must surrender all firearms within 48 hours.[2]
However, compliance with voluntary surrender requirements has historically been uneven. Studies and advocacy groups documented cases where individuals subject to protective orders retained their firearms for extended periods -- sometimes weeks or months -- because no enforcement mechanism compelled law enforcement to proactively confiscate the weapons. Karina's Law closes this enforcement gap by imposing an affirmative obligation on law enforcement to act within a defined timeline.
96-Hour Confiscation Requirement
The central provision of Karina's Law requires law enforcement to act when individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders do not voluntarily surrender their firearms. In such cases, law enforcement must petition a judge for a search warrant, and then confiscate the firearms within 96 hours of receiving the warrant. The 96-hour clock runs from when law enforcement receives the search warrant from a judge, not from when the protective order is served. If the subject does not voluntarily surrender their firearms, law enforcement must take affirmative steps to locate and seize the weapons within this 96-hour window.[1]
Interaction with Existing FOID Revocation
Karina's Law operates alongside the existing FOID revocation process rather than replacing it. When a court issues a domestic violence protective order, the following sequence occurs:
- The ISP is notified and initiates FOID card revocation proceedings
- The ISP sends a revocation notice to the cardholder, triggering the 48-hour voluntary surrender obligation under the FOID Act[2]
- Local law enforcement is simultaneously notified and is required under Karina's Law to petition for a search warrant and confiscate firearms within 96 hours of receiving the warrant if the subject has not complied
The 96-hour law enforcement confiscation window provides a backstop to the 48-hour voluntary surrender requirement, ensuring that firearms are removed even when the subject of the protective order does not comply voluntarily.
Connection to Firearms Restraining Orders
Karina's Law complements Illinois's Firearms Restraining Order Act (430 ILCS 67), which allows courts to issue orders temporarily restricting firearm access for individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. While firearms restraining orders (also known as "red flag" orders) address a broader range of risk situations, Karina's Law specifically targets the domestic violence context, where the risk of firearm-related harm is statistically elevated. Public Act 102-0345, effective June 1, 2022, extended the maximum duration of firearms restraining orders from 6 months to up to 1 year, further strengthening the state's framework for removing firearms from high-risk situations.[3]
Broader 2025 Gun Safety Package
Karina's Law was signed as part of a broader package of firearms legislation in early 2025. Other bills in the package included the Safe Gun Storage Act (SB 0008), which established storage requirements and reduced the lost/stolen reporting window, and HB 1373, which requires all Illinois law enforcement agencies to participate in the federal eTrace firearms tracing platform. Together, these measures represent a comprehensive approach to reducing firearms violence through storage requirements, reporting obligations, enforcement timelines, and tracing infrastructure.[1]