How will Illinois law banning some firearms affect gun owners? Answers to top questions
After Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 5471 into law Tuesday night, Illinois gun owners may be wondering how it will affect them and what equipment is now banned.
Here’s what to know about the legislation, including what is now banned, how to register firearms and penalties for non-compliance.
What does Illinois’ new gun law ban?
The “Protect Illinois Communities Act” bans the manufacture, purchase and sale of certain semi-automatic weapons, as well as large-capacity magazines and .50-caliber rifles.
The law bans semi-automatic guns defined as “assault weapons” that have the capacity to accept a detachable magazine or may be readily modified to accept a detachable magazine and have one or more of:
- A pistol grip or thumbhole stock
- Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand
- A folding, telescoping, thumbhole or detachable stock, or a stock that is otherwise foldable or adjustable in a manner that operates to reduce the length, size or any other dimension, or otherwise enhances the concealability of the weapon
- A flash suppressor
- Grenade launcher
A shroud attached to the barrel or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel.
A semiautomatic rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds, except for an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire
Text of the law is extensive and includes more details on weapons it bans. You can read the full legislation online.
Those who already own these will be allowed to keep them, but must register their guns with Illinois State Police by Jan. 1, 2024.
The legislation immediately bans the sale, purchase or delivery of large-capacity ammunition magazines, defined as more than 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns. Devices that convert legal handguns into semi-automatic weapons, “switches,” are also banned under the new law.
As of April 10, possession of large-capacity magazines will only be allowed on private property, a federally licensed gun dealer for repairs, a firing range or sport shooting competition or when transporting it to or from these locations, when the large-capacity ammunition feeding device is stored unloaded in a case or other container.
How can you register your semi-automatic weapon in Illinois?
When registering a semi-automatic gun characterized as an “assault weapon” by the law, gun owners will have to disclose the make, model, caliber and serial number for a special endorsement on their firearm owners identification.
To register a semi-automatic weapon, residents should submit an affidavit form online with Illinois State Police. It was not immediately clear if the affidavit form was live as of Jan. 11, but those needing to register can contact the Firearms Services Bureau at isp.askfoidandccl@illinois.gov or 217-782-7980 with any questions.
Non-compliance with the registration requirement can result in a Class A misdemeanor on the first offense and a Class 4 felony on the second or subsequent offense occurring within 10 years after conviction for the first offense.
What else does the law change?
The law requires universal background checks for all private gun sales by July 1, moving up the previous deadline of January 2024.
Additionally, a petitioner requesting a firearm restraining order for someone alleging they are in significant danger of harming themselves or someone else in the near future by having access to the weapon may request a one-year restraining order, compared to a six-month period previously, with a possible renewal period of up to one additional year.
Illinois is the ninth state to enact a semi-automatic weapons ban, according to a Jan. 11 press release from the governor’s office.
Pritzker signed legislation in May banning the sale and possession of “ghost guns” in Illinois. The term refers to “unserialized, privately made firearms that are often sold as a set of parts to be assembled at home, allowing prohibited purchasers to circumvent background checks. “
Ghost guns can be created by 3-D printers and cannot be traced through conventional means, state officials said in a May 18 statement.
This story may be updated.
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 1:44 PM.
