Lost and Stolen Firearm Reporting:
48-Hour Requirement

As part of the Safe Gun Storage Act package (SB 0008), Illinois tightened its lost and stolen firearm reporting requirement by reducing the reporting window from 72 hours to 48 hours. This provision took effect on January 1, 2026, alongside the Act's storage requirements.^[1]

Reporting Obligation

Under the amended provision (720 ILCS 5/24-4.1(a)), a person who possesses a valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card and who possesses or acquires a firearm must report its loss or theft to the local law enforcement agency within 48 hours after obtaining knowledge of the loss or theft. A person is not in violation if failure to report is due to an act of God, act of war, or inability of a law enforcement agency to receive the report. A person is also not in violation if hospitalization, a coma, or another serious physical or mental impairment prevents reporting, or if the person's designee makes the report when the person is unable to do so. The statute contains no constructive-knowledge trigger, so the duty arises from actual knowledge. The local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction must take a written report. The reporting clock begins after the person obtains knowledge of the loss or theft, rather than when the firearm was lost or stolen. Failure to report a lost or stolen firearm within 48 hours is a petty offense for a first violation and a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by less than one year of imprisonment and a fine of up to $2,500, for a second or subsequent violation. A separate civil penalty may apply for a violation of the Safe Gun Storage Act's storage requirements.^[1]

Previous 72-Hour Requirement

Prior to SB 0008, Illinois required firearm owners to report a lost or stolen firearm within 72 hours of discovery.^[2]

What Must Be Reported

The report must include the date the firearm was lost or stolen, the exact location or, if it is not known, the last known location of the firearm, and the following information.

• The make, model, and caliber or gauge of the firearm
• The serial number
• The circumstances of the loss or theft (when and where it was last seen, how it was stored)
• The Firearm Owner's Identification Card number of the person making the report, if applicable

Records of stolen firearms are kept in the Gun File of the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and the FBI exchanges these records with authorized federal, state and local officials under 28 U.S.C. 534.^[4]

Role of the ISP

When a local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction receives a lost or stolen firearm report, it must take a written report and enter the information and the firearm's serial number as stolen into LEADS as soon as practical and no later than 48 hours after receiving the report. The law requires the ISP to provide an Internet-based system that makes the serial numbers of firearms reported stolen available for public access to check before a sale or transfer. Beginning January 1, 2027, federally licensed firearm dealers must check this system before a sale or transfer to ensure the firearm has not been reported stolen. New firearms shipped directly from the manufacturer are exempt from this requirement.^[3]

Connection to Safe Storage

The lost and stolen reporting requirement complements the Safe Gun Storage Act's storage provisions. If a theft does occur despite proper storage, the reporting requirement ensures that the firearm's status is promptly communicated to law enforcement. Together, the storage and reporting provisions require secure storage under the Act's conditions and reporting of lost or stolen firearms to local law enforcement.^[1]

Relationship to eTrace

Signed into law on July 28, 2025, and effective immediately upon signing, HB 1373 requires every law enforcement agency in Illinois to participate in the federal firearm tracing platform eTrace. The reporting law requires the agency having jurisdiction to take a written report and enter the information and the firearm's serial number as stolen into LEADS as soon as practical and no later than 48 hours after receiving the report.^[2]