Illinois made 2 changes to gun ownership laws this year. Here’s what is required
Among the hundreds of new laws in effect in Illinois this year is a strengthened requirement for firearm owners reporting lost or stolen guns.
Previously, state law required firearm owners to report a lost or stolen gun within 72 hours of discovering the loss or theft. The new regulation advances that, requiring firearm owners to make the report within 48 hours.
The report to law enforcement must include the date the gun was lost or stolen or the date you noticed the loss or theft, last known location, the firearm’s make, model and serial number, and your FOID card number, Teri Ross, executive director of Illinois Legal Aid Online, told the News-Democrat.
The new law shortening the reporting deadline went into effect Jan. 1.
In addition to the update for reporting lost and stolen guns, the Illinois legislature also enacted a new “safe gun storage” law this year.
This provision, which also went into effect New Year’s Day, creates storage requirements for guns when a firearm owner knows or “reasonably should know” a minor, an “at-risk person” or a person prohibited from having a firearm is likely to gain access to it.
Exceptions apply, such as if a minor’s parent or guardian has given lawful permission or if the firearm is carried by or is under control of the owner or other lawfully authorized user.
The law describes proper storage as “secured in a locked container, properly engaged to render the firearm inaccessible or unusable to any person other than the owner or other lawfully authorized user.”
Gun safety in Illinois
Last year, St. Clair County reported 60 firearm injuries that prompted emergency department visits, the Illinois Department of Public Health reports.
IDPH encourages firearm owners to store guns safely by keeping them locked away and unloaded, and separating firearms from ammunition when not in use.
“Putting a firearm out of sight or out of reach is not safe storage and not enough to prevent use by children or unauthorized adults,” the department says.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recommends people follow basic gun safety tips, including:
- “Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
- Always keep the muzzle of the firearm pointed in a safe direction.
- Always keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard unless you intend to fire the weapon.
- Wear appropriate ear and eye protection when discharging the firearm.
- If there are children in the home, use child safety locks or other commercially available locking mechanisms on your firearms and/or keep your firearms locked in a secure location accessible to adults only. Keep your ammunition locked in a secure location away from the firearms.
- Familiarize yourself with and obey all Federal, State, and local laws regarding the purchase, possession, carrying, use, storage, and disposition/sale of firearms.”
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