Illinois 2026: Firearm Crime Penalty Enhancement Bills in Committee

What the Bills Would Do

A significant bloc of bills advancing through committee would increase penalties for firearm-related criminal offenses under the Illinois Criminal Code (720 ILCS 5) and the Unified Code of Corrections (730 ILCS 5):

HB4285 — Criminal Code and Code of Corrections: Firearm Offenses: Would increase penalties for certain firearm offenses, potentially including mandatory minimums and sentence enhancements. Assigned to the Judiciary - Criminal Committee as of March 12, 2026^[1].

HB4091 — Juvenile Court: Subsequent Firearm Offense: Would create enhanced penalties for juveniles who commit a second or subsequent firearm offense. House Committee Amendment No. 1 was referred to the Judiciary - Criminal Committee on March 18, 2026, making this one of the most recently active bills^[2].

SB3346 — FOID Revocation and Suspension: Would strengthen the process for revoking and suspending FOID cards following criminal conduct, and add penalties for individuals who fail to surrender their FOID card after revocation. Committee deadline of March 27, 2026^[3].

SB3329 — Domestic Violence Order Violation: Would enhance penalties for violations of domestic violence orders of protection involving firearms, building on the federal Lautenberg Amendment framework (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8)). Committee deadline of March 27, 2026^[4].

Current Status

HB4091 is the most active bill in this group, having received a committee amendment referral on March 18, 2026. HB4285 is assigned to committee and awaiting a hearing date. The Senate bills (SB3346 and SB3329) face the March 27 committee deadline.

What to Watch

The juvenile firearm offense bill (HB4091) reflects growing political pressure to address youth gun violence in Illinois, particularly in Chicago. The tension between penalty enhancement and the state's SAFE-T Act reforms (which eliminated cash bail and shifted pretrial detention standards) creates a complex political dynamic — legislators who supported criminal justice reform in 2021 are now facing pressure to increase firearm penalties. The domestic violence provision (SB3329) addresses the intersection of firearms and domestic violence, which is among the most consistently bipartisan areas of gun legislation nationwide.