Illinois Gun Laws (2026): FOID Card, CCL, AWB & What You Need to Know

Last updated March 22nd 2026

Illinois is one of the most restrictive states in the country for gun owners, and the landscape has gotten significantly more complicated since the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) passed in January 2023. You need a state-issued FOID card just to possess a firearm or ammunition. You need a separate Concealed Carry License to carry. Open carry is flat-out illegal. There’s a 72-hour waiting period on every purchase. Suppressors are banned. And the assault weapons ban with magazine limits is currently being challenged in federal court with the DOJ itself arguing it’s unconstitutional.

If that sounds like a lot, it is. Illinois was the last state in the nation to allow any form of concealed carry (2013), and the state has continued to layer on restrictions since then. But there are over 2.4 million FOID card holders in the state, the gun community is active and fights hard, and the legal challenges to PICA could reshape what’s legal here in the near future.

This page covers every major regulation with the actual statutes. If you’re buying, carrying, or just trying to understand what’s legal in Illinois right now, start here.

Illinois Gun Laws: The Highlights

• FOID Card: Required to possess any firearm or ammunition. Issued by Illinois State Police. $10, valid 10 years (430 ILCS 65/).
• Concealed Carry: CCL required. 16 hours training, $150 for residents, shall-issue. Must be 21+ (430 ILCS 66/).
• Open Carry: Illegal. No exceptions.
• Waiting Period: 72 hours for all firearms (720 ILCS 5/24-3(A)(g)).
• Background Checks: Universal. All sales, including private transfers, require a background check.
• Assault Weapons Ban: Yes (PICA, 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9). Currently under federal court challenge in the 7th Circuit.
• Magazine Limits: 10 rounds for rifles, 15 rounds for handguns.
• Red Flag Law: Yes. Firearms Restraining Orders up to 1 year (430 ILCS 67/).
• Suppressors: Banned entirely. Machine guns and SBSs also banned.
• Self-Defense: Castle Doctrine in the home. No formal Stand Your Ground statute, but courts have held there is no duty to retreat.

The FOID Card

Illinois is one of the only states in the country that requires a state-issued identification card just to possess a firearm or ammunition. The Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card is issued by the Illinois State Police under 430 ILCS 65/, and without one, you can’t legally buy, own, or possess any firearm or ammo in Illinois. Period.

The application is done online through the ISP Firearms Services Bureau at ispfsb.com. You’ll need a valid Illinois driver’s license or state ID, and the fee is $10 (plus a $1 credit card fee if you pay by card). Processing officially takes “up to 90 days,” though in practice it can be faster or slower depending on the backlog. The card is valid for 10 years.

You must be 21 to apply on your own. Persons under 21 can apply with written parental or guardian consent under 430 ILCS 65/4, provided the parent or guardian is FOID-eligible. The list of disqualifying factors is extensive: felony convictions, domestic violence convictions, involuntary mental health commitments within the past 5 years, certain DUI convictions, active orders of protection, and others.

As of January 1, 2026, applicants must provide an Alien Registration Number, I-94 Admission Number, or USCIS Number to verify eligibility. Non-immigrant visa holders are generally ineligible. Also new in 2026: ISP is authorized to create a combined FOID/CCL card that serves both purposes.

Concealed Carry License

Illinois was the last state in America to allow concealed carry, finally passing the Firearm Concealed Carry Act in 2013 after a federal court ruling essentially forced the legislature’s hand. The CCL is administered by the Illinois State Police under 430 ILCS 66/.

The system is shall-issue under 430 ILCS 66/25: if you meet the requirements, ISP must issue the license. However, if law enforcement objects based on “reasonable suspicion” that the applicant poses a danger, the application goes to the Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board. You must be 21 or older and hold a valid FOID card.

Training is 16 hours from an ISP-approved instructor, including range qualification. Up to 8 hours can transfer from prior military or law enforcement training, or from training completed in other states. The cost is $150 for residents, $300 for non-residents. The license is valid for 5 years. Renewal requires a 3-hour course (2 hours classroom, 1 hour range) and the same fee.

Non-resident CCLs are available, but only to residents of states ISP has determined have “substantially similar” firearms laws. As of 2026, that list includes Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, and Virginia. Everyone else is out of luck.

Open Carry

Open carry is illegal in Illinois. There is no provision for it, not with a FOID card, not with a CCL, not anywhere. If your firearm is visible, you’re breaking the law. The CCL only authorizes concealed carry. This is one of the few areas where Illinois law is unambiguous.

Purchasing and Ownership

Buying a gun in Illinois involves more steps than most states. Here’s the process:

1. Get your FOID card. Apply through ISP. Wait up to 90 days for approval.
2. Choose your firearm at a licensed dealer.
3. Fill out ATF Form 4473 and present your FOID card.
4. Dealer runs the background check.
5. Wait 72 hours. The waiting period applies to all firearms under 720 ILCS 5/24-3(A)(g). The clock starts when buyer and seller reach an agreement.
6. Pick up your firearm after the waiting period expires.

Private sales require the seller to verify the buyer’s FOID card by contacting ISP with the buyer’s FOID number. ISP approval is valid for 30 days. Universal background checks are now required for all private transfers as well. Exemptions exist for bona fide gifts to specified family members and transfers through an FFL.

Background Checks

Illinois has universal background checks. Every firearm transfer, dealer or private, requires a background check. The FOID card itself involves a background check at issuance and is subject to ongoing monitoring by ISP. At the point of sale, dealers run an additional check through the ISP system. Private sellers must verify FOID validity through ISP before completing a transfer.

This layered system means Illinois gun buyers are checked at FOID issuance, monitored continuously while holding a FOID, and checked again at each purchase. Whatever you think about that approach, it’s among the most thorough in the country.

Assault Weapons Ban (PICA)

The Protect Illinois Communities Act (HB 5471, signed January 10, 2023) created Illinois’s assault weapons ban under 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9. The law bans the sale, purchase, manufacture, and delivery of defined “assault weapons,” including a named list of approximately 170+ specific firearm models, .50 BMG caliber rifles, and certain semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns meeting feature-based tests.

If you legally possessed a banned firearm before January 10, 2023, you could keep it by registering through an endorsement affidavit via your FOID account with ISP. The original registration deadline was January 1, 2024.

The legal status of PICA is genuinely uncertain right now. Federal District Judge Stephen McGlynn ruled the law unconstitutional under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments in November 2024, issuing a permanent injunction. Illinois AG Raoul appealed to the 7th Circuit the same day, and the injunction was stayed pending appeal. In June 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an amicus brief supporting the challengers, arguing PICA violates the Second Amendment under the Bruen framework. The 7th Circuit heard oral arguments in September 2025, with DOJ participating. A decision could come at any time.

As of March 2026, PICA remains in effect and enforceable. But this could change with a single court ruling. Watch this space.

Magazine Capacity Limits

Under PICA (720 ILCS 5/24-1.9), Illinois caps magazine capacity at 10 rounds for rifles and 15 rounds for handguns. Anything exceeding these limits is classified as a “large capacity ammunition feeding device” and is banned from manufacture, sale, purchase, or possession.

Existing owners who possessed large-capacity magazines before January 10, 2023, could keep them if they also registered a grandfathered assault weapon through the ISP endorsement process by January 1, 2024. The magazines themselves didn’t require individual registration, but they’re tied to the assault weapon registration. If you didn’t register, possession is illegal.

Self-Defense Laws

Illinois doesn’t have a formal “Stand Your Ground” statute, but the practical effect is similar. Under 720 ILCS 5/7-1, a person is justified in using force when they reasonably believe it’s necessary to defend themselves or another against imminent unlawful force. Deadly force is justified when you reasonably believe it’s necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.

The Castle Doctrine is codified in 720 ILCS 5/7-2: you may use force, including deadly force, to prevent unlawful entry into or attack upon your dwelling if you reasonably believe it’s necessary. There is no duty to retreat in your home. The Illinois Supreme Court has also held that there is no general duty to retreat in public spaces, so while Illinois doesn’t have a formal Stand Your Ground law, the practical outcome is similar.

One important detail: under 720 ILCS 5/7-4, if you are the initial aggressor, you generally cannot claim self-defense unless you have withdrawn from the encounter and communicated that withdrawal. Don’t start it and then claim you had to finish it.

Red Flag Law (Firearms Restraining Orders)

Illinois enacted its Firearms Restraining Order Act in 2019 under 430 ILCS 67/. Family members, household members, and law enforcement can petition for an order requiring the respondent to surrender all firearms, ammunition, and firearm parts. The respondent’s FOID card is also revoked during the order.

Emergency FROs last up to 14 days and can be issued ex parte (without the respondent present). Plenary FROs last 6 months to 1 year, with the respondent required to appear within 7 days of service.

In February 2025, Governor Pritzker signed “Karina’s Law,” which allows judges issuing civil orders of protection to also issue search-and-seizure warrants for firearms, executable within 96 hours.

NFA Items

Illinois is one of the worst states in the country for NFA items. Under 720 ILCS 5/24-1:

• Suppressors: Banned entirely. Illegal to own, possess, or use. No exceptions.
• Machine guns: Banned entirely.
• Short-barreled shotguns (SBS): Banned entirely.
• Short-barreled rifles (SBR): Legal only with a Curio & Relic (C&R) FFL license. Cannot be owned through a gun trust. Very limited availability.

The federal elimination of the NFA tax stamp on suppressors in January 2026 does NOT change Illinois state law. Suppressors remain illegal in Illinois regardless of what federal law says. If you want NFA items, Illinois is not your state.

State Preemption

Illinois has limited state preemption under 430 ILCS 66/90, but it only applies to CCL-related regulations. The state preempts local regulation of handgun licensing, possession, registration, and transportation by CCL holders. But outside that narrow scope, local jurisdictions can and do enact their own firearms regulations.

This has created a patchwork of local ordinances, especially in the Chicago metro area. Cook County has its own assault weapons ban that predates PICA. Chicago has additional requirements for firearm registration, lost/stolen reporting within certain timeframes, safe storage with minors present, and even a ban on laser sights. Some suburbs have their own additional restrictions. If you live in the Chicago area, you need to know not just state law but your specific municipality’s ordinances.

Reciprocity

Illinois does NOT recognize any other state’s concealed carry permit. If you’re visiting Illinois with an out-of-state CCW, you cannot carry concealed. End of story. You would need an Illinois non-resident CCL, which is only available to residents of six specific states (Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, Virginia) at a cost of $300.

Illinois’s own CCL is recognized by approximately 29 other states. If you hold an Illinois CCL and travel, verify current reciprocity before you cross any state line. The list changes.

Prohibited Places

The list of prohibited carry locations in Illinois is one of the longest in the country. Under 430 ILCS 66/65, you cannot carry in:

• Schools (K-12, preschools, child care facilities), including buildings, grounds, and parking areas
• Colleges and universities (buildings, classrooms, labs, athletic and entertainment venues)
• Government buildings (executive and legislative branches)
• Courts at all levels
• Jails, prisons, and detention centers
• Hospitals, mental health facilities, and nursing homes
• Public parks and athletic facilities
• Cook County Forest Preserves
• Casinos and gaming facilities
• Stadiums and arenas during sporting events
• Nuclear facilities
• Bars (50%+ gross receipts from alcohol)
• Public transportation (buses, trains)
• Libraries
• Airports
• Any property where the owner posts a 4×6-inch prohibition sign

There is a parking lot exception: CCL holders can carry concealed in a vehicle in parking areas of prohibited locations and may store a firearm in a case within a locked vehicle. But that’s the extent of it.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

PICA Court Challenges (ongoing): Federal Judge McGlynn struck down PICA as unconstitutional in November 2024. The 7th Circuit stayed the injunction on appeal. The DOJ filed an amicus brief supporting challengers in June 2025. Oral arguments were held in September 2025. A ruling is pending and could reshape Illinois gun law significantly.

Karina’s Law (February 2025): Allows judges issuing protection orders to also issue search-and-seizure warrants for firearms, executable within 96 hours.

Safe Gun Storage Act (SB 8, effective January 1, 2026): Firearms must be stored in locked containers if accessible to minors, persons at risk, or prohibited persons. Fines up to $10,000 for violations. The law also shortens the timeline for reporting lost or stolen firearms.

FOID Modernization (effective January 1, 2026): Immigration documentation now required for non-citizen applicants. Combined FOID/CCL card authorized. First-time weapon offender diversion participants can apply for FOID.

Our Take on Illinois Gun Laws

Illinois is a tough state to be a gun owner, and there’s no getting around that. The FOID card is an extra bureaucratic layer that exists in almost no other state. The 72-hour waiting period on every purchase is annoying. The suppressor ban is one of the harshest in the country. And PICA’s assault weapons ban and magazine limits, if they survive the federal court challenge, make a lot of popular configurations illegal to buy.

That said, the CCL is shall-issue, which means if you do the work you’ll get your carry license. The self-defense framework is workable. And the ongoing federal challenge to PICA, with the DOJ itself arguing the law is unconstitutional, gives gun owners in Illinois more legal hope than they’ve had in years. If the 7th Circuit strikes down PICA, it would be a massive shift.

If you live in Illinois, get your FOID card, get your CCL, know the law (especially local ordinances if you’re in Chicago or Cook County), and stay engaged with the legal challenges. For the complete statutes, visit the Illinois General Assembly’s statute database. For FOID and CCL applications, go to the Illinois State Police Firearms Services. And when you’re ready to shop, check out our best gun stores in Illinois guide and compare prices at the best online gun stores.

FAQ: Illinois Gun Laws