Illinois Mandatory Firearm Tracing Law: eTrace and NIBIN Requirements

Illinois Public Act 104-0030, enacted from House Bill 1373 and effective July 28, 2025, requires every law enforcement agency in Illinois to use the federal eTrace system and the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) to trace recovered firearms. The law amends Section 24-8 of the Criminal Code of 2012 (720 ILCS 5/24-8) and makes Illinois one of the few states in the country with a statutory mandatory tracing requirement for recovered firearms.^[1]

What Law Enforcement Must Now Do

When an Illinois law enforcement agency recovers a firearm in any of the following circumstances, the agency must use "the best available information, including a firearms trace" to determine how the person gained possession and to establish the firearm's prior ownership history:^[1]

• The firearm was recovered from a crime scene
• The firearm was possessed unlawfully
• The firearm was used unlawfully
• The firearm is reasonably believed to be associated with criminal activity

In addition to eTrace submission, agencies must enter all stolen, seized, or recovered firearms into the Illinois State Police's LEADS Gun File in accordance with ISP regulations.

eTrace and the National Tracing Center

The eTrace platform is a web-based system operated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that allows law enforcement to submit firearms trace requests electronically. A trace follows a firearm's chain of commerce from manufacturer to most recent retail sale, identifying the licensed dealer who sold the weapon and the original purchaser. This information helps investigators identify straw purchasers, gun traffickers, and patterns of illegal diversion from lawful commerce into criminal use.

Under PA 104-0030, agencies must also participate in eTrace's collective data sharing program, allowing firearm trace reports to be shared among all Illinois law enforcement agencies statewide. The data sharing component is designed to surface trafficking patterns that cross jurisdictional lines -- a problem particularly acute in the Chicago metropolitan area, where traced crime guns frequently originate from suburban or out-of-state dealers.^[2]

NIBIN Submission Requirement

In addition to the eTrace tracing requirement, agencies must submit fired cartridge cases and recovered semiautomatic firearms suitable for ballistic analysis to NIBIN -- the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network operated by ATF. NIBIN uses automated ballistic imaging to correlate cartridge cases recovered from different crime scenes, allowing investigators to connect separate shootings to the same firearm even when the gun itself has not been recovered.

When practicable, NIBIN-suitable evidence must be entered into the system within 2 business days of submission to an Illinois State Police laboratory with NIBIN access. Exceptions apply when additional forensic analysis is required before NIBIN submission.^[1]

Illinois Crime Gun Intelligence Center

The law builds on Illinois's existing Crime Gun Connect infrastructure, a state-level firearm tracing database launched in 2022 by the Illinois State Police and Attorney General's office. Crime Gun Connect aggregates eTrace data with NIBIN results and other investigative data. Before PA 104-0030, participation in eTrace was voluntary for Illinois agencies. The new law makes it mandatory statewide.^[2]

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who championed the legislation, stated that eTrace "supports law enforcement in solving criminal cases by helping them identify gun traffickers, potential suspects and patterns of violent gun crimes." The AG's office worked with ISP to develop the data infrastructure underlying the mandate.

What This Means in Practice

For law enforcement, the mandatory tracing requirement changes how recovered firearms are processed. Previously, tracing was discretionary -- some agencies routinely submitted traces, others did not. Under PA 104-0030, every recovered crime gun must be traced, and the results must be shared statewide. This creates a comprehensive picture of firearm trafficking patterns that was previously impossible to obtain.

For Illinois residents, the law has no direct impact on legal gun ownership. It does not change FOID requirements, concealed carry rules, purchase procedures, or storage obligations. Its effect is entirely on how law enforcement investigates crimes involving firearms.

Effective Date

Public Act 104-0030 took effect on July 28, 2025, the date it was signed by Governor Pritzker. The law applies immediately to all law enforcement agencies in Illinois. There is no phase-in period.