AURORA, Ill. — Gov. JB Pritzker Monday signed House Bill (HB) 562 into law, which expands background checks on all gun sales in Illinois and provides mental health funding for communities most impacted by gun violence.
“The bill I sign today delivers to Illinoisans everywhere the most comprehensive reform to our state firearms laws in over a generation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have come together to shape a law steeped in a commonsense commitment to safety.”
The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, also makes sweeping changes to the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card system.
The system has not been updated since its creation over 50 years ago. The number of Illinoisans with a FOID card has nearly doubled, from 1.2 million to 2.2 million, in the last decade.
HB 562 will streamline the FOID card system by allowing Illinois State Police (ISP) to create electronic records, creating a combined FOID and concealed carry license, offering cardholders the ability to apply for renewal six months before the expiration date.
Other changes the legislation makes are below:
- Expands background checks to all gun sales in Illinois.
- Invests in community-based, trauma-informed mental health programs in the communities most impacted by gun violence.
- Properly funds the Illinois State Police’s ability to enforce the surrender of firearms from people who have lost their license for gun ownership.
- Requires ISP to remove guns from people with revoked FOID cards who have not surrendered their weapon.
- Amends how FOID card fees are distributed: $5 will go to the State Police Firearm Services Fund and $5 will go into the State Police Revocation Enforcement Fund (previously, $6 went to the Wildlife and Fish Fund, $1 to the State Police Services Fund, and $3 to the State Police Firearm Services Fund).
- Creates a stolen gun database and requires ISP to continuously monitor state and federal databases for prohibited gun buyers.
- Creates stronger identification factors, like fingerprints, so Illinois State Police can more easily verify the identity of FOID applicants and firearm purchasers, as well as increase the frequency of background checks. Allows responsible gunowners who opt into this process to see their FOID and Concealed Carry applications expedited and automatically renewed going forward.
- Formalizes in law preventative actions the Illinois State Police has taken under Director Brendan Kelly’s leadership: giving all Illinois law enforcement agencies access to the FOID status of any individual, ensuring State Police continuously monitor federal and state databases for any new threat to safety, requiring every Illinois law enforcement agency to submit ballistics information to national crime databases within 48 hours, and making available to the public all firearms reported stolen to crack down on illegal gun trafficking.
“The ISP welcome the signing of this bill which modernizes FOID and eliminates redundant and duplicative processes that do nothing to improve public safety,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “This act will help us in our mission to make lawful gun ownership easier for the good guys while keeping guns out of the hands of those who threaten public safety.”
The expansion of background checks to all gun sales will start in 2024.
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