Legislative updates, court decisions, and regulatory changes affecting Illinois firearms law.
A bloc of bills in the 104th General Assembly would expand concealed carry rights in Illinois, allowing carry in forest preserves, establishing reciprocity with other states, and removing several restricted locations from the prohibited-carry list.
Three Illinois bills target semiautomatic pistols with a cruciform trigger bar that can be readily converted into machine guns. All three remain proposals in the 104th General Assembly after committee re-referral.
Bills introduced in the 104th General Assembly would change Illinois's FOID system by adding certain out-of-state misdemeanor stalking convictions to denial and revocation grounds and changing mental health reinstatement evaluations. Another proposal would require firearm dealers to provide safety information to first-time buyers.
The Illinois Supreme Court decided People v. Benson on September 24, 2026. It affirmed his felon-possession conviction because his as-applied challenge lacked an adequate factual record.
The Illinois State Police has faced persistent FOID and CCL application processing backlogs, prompting legislative fixes and system modernization efforts.
The proposed RIFL Act would allocate firearm manufacturer licensing fees by market share, with a possible adjustment for firearm recoveries linked to injuries.
SB 2136, filed in February 2025, proposes repealing Illinois's Protect Illinois Communities Act assault weapons ban.
Karina's Law took effect May 11, 2025. It sets firearm seizure deadlines in domestic violence cases.
Illinois's Safe Gun Storage Act (SB 0008), effective January 1, 2026, requires locked-container storage 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. Firearms carried by or under the control of the owner or another lawfully authorized user are deemed lawfully stored or kept. Exceptions cover access followed by lawful self-defense or defense of another, and firearms obtained because of unlawful entry.
In June 2025, the DOJ filed an amicus brief opposing Illinois's assault weapons ban.
Harrel v. Raoul is the Firearms Policy Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation challenge to Illinois's PICA assault weapons and magazine bans under Bruen.
Bevis v. Naperville challenged Naperville's local assault weapons ban and Illinois's statewide ban. The Supreme Court denied review of the preliminary-injunction ruling in July 2024.