Are firearms legal in Illinois?

Q: Are firearms legal in Illinois?

Firearms in Illinois are restricted. A Concealed Carry License (CCL) is required to carry a handgun on your person in Illinois. You must be 21 or older. To get a CCL, residents need a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card and 16 hours of approved training. There is no permitless carry. Visitors from outside Illinois cannot carry on their person without an Illinois non-resident CCL.

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ILLINOIS · FIREARMS

Firearms

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Restricted: A Concealed Carry License (CCL) is required to carry a handgun on your person in Illinois.

Restricted

Summary

A Concealed Carry License (CCL) is required to carry a handgun on your person in Illinois. You must be 21 or older. To get a CCL, residents need a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card and 16 hours of approved training. There is no permitless carry. Visitors from outside Illinois cannot carry on their person without an Illinois non-resident CCL.

Source: isp.illinois.gov → · Updated October 12, 2026

Illinois Firearms topics

Concealed Carry in Illinois →Restricted
A Concealed Carry License (CCL) is required to carry a handgun on your person in Illinois.
Open Carry in Illinois →Restricted
Open carry of a handgun is prohibited in Illinois.
Magazine Capacity in Illinois →Restricted
Illinois bans possessing, buying or selling magazines that hold more than 15 rounds for handguns or more than 10 rounds for long guns.
Gun Possession in Illinois →Restricted
Illinois has a Firearms Restraining Order (red-flag) law (430 ILCS 67), bans "assault weapons" (with registration of those owned before the ban), and requires a FOID to possess a firearm.
Transporting Firearms in Illinois →Restricted
Without an Illinois Concealed Carry License (CCL), a handgun in a vehicle must be broken down, not immediately accessible, or unloaded and in a case, and residents need a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card.
Duty to Inform Police in Illinois →Conditional
You do not have to announce that you are armed.
Suppressors & Silencers in Illinois →Restricted
Firearm silencers are banned in Illinois: 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(6) makes possessing one "unlawful use of weapons," a Class 3 felony, regardless of registration under the federal National Firearms Act (NFA).
Reciprocity — where is my Illinois permit honored? →
State-by-state map of which states honor a Illinois concealed-carry permit.

Other Illinois laws

Firearms in nearby states

Browse all state laws →

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