Illinois Residents Defy State Gun Laws - But What Happens Next?

Illinois gun owners who possess any number of soon-to-be-banned firearms have until January 1 of next year to register them under the Protecting Illinois Communities Act. Beginning October 1, people who possess a wide range of either explicitly named or implied "assault weapons" must endorse an affidavit on their Firearm Owner’s Identification Card. However, not many people have.

Is Anyone Complying?

As of the writing of this article, just 2,430 persons have sworn to the Illinois State Police they own a targeted firearm. With over 2.4 million gun owners, that figure comes out to just 0.1 percent of gun owners in the state. However, when doing the math by assuming just 20% of gun owners have "assault-style" firearms, this figure jumps up to a still paltry 0.5 percent. Clearly, there are more than 2,400 liable gun owners in the state. So what happens to the other 483,000 potential gun owners subject to these new laws?

Under the Protecting Illinois Communities Act, the state is not yet taking firearms, but is forcing everyone to register them. However, if someone is caught with an unregistered firearm, they would be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first offense, and a felony if caught for another time within ten years of the first time. But how would the police know you have one in the first place?

The law regulates that claimed firearms can only be possessed at home, at a licensed gun range, or traveling in between. If a person owns some hunting land and wants to shoot there? That is illegal under the law. What about going to a gun show, not to sell it, but just as a demonstration piece? That, too, would be illegal. And that is not all they are doing to catch gun owners.

Illinois Ammo Purchase Registry

In early October, the internet was abound with reports that the Illinois State Police were going to root out gun owners through their ammo purchases. Because Illinois requires a background check for ammo, and to buy ammo one needs a FOID card, state police know every ammo purchase a FOID makes. Dealers noticed that this fiscal year, the state sneakily changed the forms for ammunition purchases. What dealers started seeing this past October when this was not a requirement before.

Source: https://www.gunssavelife.com/2023/10/07/illinois-ammo-registry-has-commenced-il-now-tracking-ammo-purchases-by-caliber-to-help-nab-unregistered-ar-owners-etc/

Numerous people posted online showing that sellers had to select what type of ammo was being purchased. The police figure if they can not catch you shooting your "illegal" firearm, they could at least see when you buy ammo for it.

Thankfully, after an Illinois lawmaker stepped in, it appears that the forms have been changed to track just .50 cal ammo, which will soon be banned anyway. However, it is very likely, given how few people have already registered, that the state will continue to explore such backhanded ways of enforcing unconstitutional laws.