Illinois Assault Weapons Ban: What Is Banned and What Is Legal in 2026

Last verified: October 26, 2026 against 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9, 720 ILCS 5/24-1.10, Public Act 102-1116 and the Seventh Circuit opinion in Barnett v. Raoul

The Illinois assault weapons ban took effect on January 10, 2023, when Governor Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA), Public Act 102-1116. People ask what is banned, what is still legal and whether a court will strike it down. The short version: the law is in force, and the U.S. Supreme Court is about to hear a related case.

What guns are banned in Illinois?

Illinois bans a list of named firearms and any semiautomatic gun that has certain military-style features. The definition is in 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9(a).

The law reaches four groups of firearms. It also covers “assault weapon attachments,” meaning devices made to turn a gun into a covered one.

Type	Covered if it has any of these
Semiautomatic rifle, detachable magazine	Pistol grip or thumbhole stock; protruding grip; folding, telescoping or detachable stock; flash suppressor; grenade launcher; barrel shroud
Semiautomatic rifle, fixed magazine	A magazine that holds more than 10 rounds (a .22 rimfire tube is excepted)
Semiautomatic pistol, detachable magazine	Threaded barrel; second or protruding grip; barrel shroud; flash suppressor; magazine that loads outside the grip; buffer tube or arm brace that allows shoulder firing
Semiautomatic pistol, fixed magazine	A magazine that holds more than 15 rounds
Semiautomatic shotgun	Pistol grip or thumbhole stock; protruding grip; folding or thumbhole stock; grenade launcher; detachable magazine; fixed magazine over 5 rounds
Any shotgun	A revolving cylinder

The statute also names models. The list includes AK-type and AR-type rifles and pistols, among them the AR-15, AR-10, AK-47 and Bushmaster, plus Uzi, MAC-10, TEC-9 and several shotgun models. The names cover copies and variants.

Are AR-15s legal in Illinois?

Not to buy or sell. The AR-15 is named in the statute, so you cannot buy one in Illinois, and you can only possess one if you filed an endorsement affidavit for it.

Owners who endorsed their rifles before the deadline may keep them, but only under tight conditions, covered below. The same goes for AR pistols. Are AR pistols legal in Illinois? Not for new purchases: AR-type pistols are named in the law, and a pistol with a buffer tube or arm brace that allows shoulder firing is also covered.

What rifles are legal in Illinois?

Plenty of rifles remain legal. The law does not cover guns operated by bolt, pump or lever action, and it does not cover antique firearms or air rifles.

• Bolt-action, lever-action and pump-action rifles are excluded from the definition.
• A semiautomatic rifle with a detachable magazine is legal only if it has none of the listed features and is not a named model.
• A semiautomatic rifle with a fixed magazine is legal if the magazine holds 10 rounds or fewer.
• A semiautomatic .22 rimfire with a tubular magazine is not counted against the 10-round fixed-magazine limit.

Threaded barrels, compensators and other attachments

Are threaded barrels legal in Illinois? It depends on the gun. On a semiautomatic pistol with a detachable magazine, a threaded barrel is a listed feature that makes the pistol a covered weapon. On a rifle, a threaded barrel is not by itself on the feature list, but a flash suppressor is. ISP rules also list a threaded barrel among the assault weapon attachments, which are covered by the sale ban.

Are compensators legal in Illinois? The statute lists “flash suppressor” and does not name compensators. ISP rules (20 Ill. Adm. Code 1230.10) define a flash suppressor as a muzzle attachment designed to reduce muzzle flash, and say the term does not include a muzzle brake, which “may also be known as a compensator.” So a true compensator is not treated as a flash suppressor, but a device built to hide flash can still count. Ask ISP or a licensed Illinois attorney before you install one.

Are semi auto shotguns legal in Illinois? Some are. A semiautomatic shotgun with a fixed magazine of 5 rounds or fewer and no pistol grip, protruding grip, folding or thumbhole stock or grenade launcher is outside the definition. A detachable magazine puts it inside.

Magazine limits: the 10 and 15 round rule

Illinois restricts large capacity ammunition feeding devices under 720 ILCS 5/24-1.10. That means any magazine, drum, belt or strip that holds, or can be readily converted to hold, more than 10 rounds for a long gun or more than 15 rounds for a handgun.

Sales and purchases have been unlawful since January 10, 2023. Possession became unlawful 90 days later, with an exception for people who owned the device before that date. A knowing violation of the magazine section is a petty offense with a $1,000 fine for each violation.

Does Illinois have a Glock ban?

No. The Illinois glock ban people search for is a proposal, not law. House Bill 4471 would have barred the sale of new semiautomatic pistols with a cruciform trigger bar, the design used in Glock pistols, but it stalled after clearing a House committee on May 20, 2026. The General Assembly never voted on it.

Under current law, a Glock-style pistol is not banned by name. It becomes a covered weapon only if it has a listed feature, such as a threaded barrel or a shoulder-firing brace, or a fixed magazine over 15 rounds.

The endorsement affidavit: how registration works

If you lawfully owned a covered gun before January 10, 2023, the law let you keep it by filing a sworn endorsement affidavit with the Illinois State Police. The Illinois State Police set the filing deadline at January 1, 2024.

The affidavit lists your Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card number, the make, model, caliber and serial number of each item, and your statement that you owned it before the cutoff or inherited it. False information is punishable as perjury.

An endorsed owner may keep the gun only in limited places:

• On private property you own or control
• On private property that is not open to the public, with the owner’s express permission
• At a licensed dealer or gunsmith for repair
• At a licensed range or sport shooting competition
• While traveling to or from those places, unloaded and in a case

Endorsed owners may transfer a covered gun only to an heir, to a person in another state who will keep it there, or to a licensed dealer. Moving into Illinois with a covered gun brings a 60-day deadline to apply for a FOID card and file an endorsement application.

Who is exempt from the Illinois assault weapons ban?

Peace officers, qualified active and retired law enforcement officers, and agencies equipping their officers are exempt. So are prison and jail officials, military members on duty, and armed security at nuclear sites and licensed private security contractors performing their duties.

Illinois gun ban update: the court fights

The Seventh Circuit upheld the law on July 9, 2026. A split panel reversed a federal trial judge who had struck it down on November 8, 2024, and sent the case back with instructions to enter judgment for the state.

Date	Event	Source
January 10, 2023	Protect Illinois Communities Act signed; sales ban begins	Public Act 102-1116
August 11, 2023	Illinois Supreme Court rejects equal protection and special legislation challenges, 4-3, in Caulkins v. Pritzker (2023 IL 129453)	Ill. Supreme Court docket 129453
January 1, 2024	Possession ban and affidavit deadline	720 ILCS 5/24-1.9
June 30, 2026	U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins	Supreme Court No. 25-238
July 9, 2026	Seventh Circuit upholds the law 2-1 in Barnett v. Raoul; reverses the district court	7th Cir. Nos. 24-3060 to 24-3063
December 2, 2026	Scheduled oral argument in those cases	Supreme Court docket

The court held that restrictions on AR-15 rifles and 30-round rifle magazines fit the historical tradition of regulating dangerous weapons, and it upheld the registration requirement. It left open whether the law applies to pistols, shotguns and their magazines, which could come up in later challenges. Chief Judge Brennan dissented. As of late October 2026, the Barnett plaintiffs have not yet filed a petition for certiorari. Justice Barrett extended their deadline to November 6, 2026, and they have asked for more time.

The Illinois gun ban next court date to watch is December 2, 2026, when the Supreme Court hears the Cook County case. That case concerns a county ordinance, not PICA, but the Court’s answer on AR-15 rifles could affect the Illinois statute. Until a court says otherwise, the state law stays in force.

Chicago and Cook County rules

State law applies everywhere in Illinois, including Chicago. Cook County adds its own ordinance, called the Blair Holt Assault Weapons Ban, which bars owning, buying or transferring listed rifles such as the AR-15. News reports put the number of covered rifle types at 125. It applies in Cook County towns that have no ban of their own. That is the ordinance in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The City of Chicago also has its own 2013 ordinance banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Penalties for breaking the law

Carrying or possessing a covered weapon in violation of the state ban is charged under the unlawful use of weapons statute, 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(15). That includes possessing a covered gun with no endorsement affidavit on file. Under 720 ILCS 5/24-1(b), a first offense is a Class A misdemeanor and a second or later offense is a Class 3 felony. Manufacturing, selling, delivering, importing or purchasing a covered gun is a Class 3 felony under 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(16). Illinois State Police guidance says there is no separate fine for a late affidavit, but a late filing may be treated as invalid. Sentencing ranges come from 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5.

Offense class	Sentence range
Class A misdemeanor	Up to 364 days in jail
Class 3 felony	2 to 5 years in prison
Large capacity magazine (petty offense)	$1,000 fine for each violation

Myths vs. facts

Myth	Fact
Every semiautomatic gun is banned.	Only listed models and guns with certain features or large fixed magazines are covered.
The Seventh Circuit struck the law down.	It upheld the law on July 9, 2026, reversing the trial court.
Illinois bans Glocks.	A Glock ban bill stalled in 2026 and is not law.

What to do if you own or are charged with a covered gun

• Identify the exact model, features and serial number before you do anything else.
• Do not move a covered gun outside the allowed places. If you are unsure, keep it at home, unloaded.
• If you are charged, do not talk to police without a lawyer. Ask for a licensed Illinois criminal defense attorney.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a ban on assault weapons in Illinois?

Yes. Illinois has banned the sale and manufacture of listed assault weapons since January 10, 2023, and banned new possession since January 1, 2024. Owners who filed an endorsement affidavit may keep covered guns they owned before the ban. The Seventh Circuit upheld the law on July 9, 2026.

Did the Seventh Circuit strike down the Illinois ban?

No. On July 9, 2026, a 2-1 panel upheld the law and reversed the district judge who had struck it down. The case was sent back with instructions to enter judgment for the state. The ban remains in effect.

What is the Illinois gun ban next court date?

The U.S. Supreme Court hears Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins on December 2, 2026. These cases involve a Cook County ordinance and a Connecticut law, not Illinois state law, but the ruling on AR-15 rifles could shape later cases.

Are 30-round magazines legal in Illinois?

Generally not. A rifle or shotgun magazine over 10 rounds, or a handgun magazine over 15 rounds, is restricted. People who lawfully owned one before January 10, 2023 may keep it in limited places. A knowing violation is a petty offense with a $1,000 fine.

Is a Glock legal in Illinois?

Yes. A Glock is not banned by name, and the Glock ban bill, House Bill 4471, stalled in 2026. A pistol is covered only if it has a listed feature, such as a threaded barrel, a shoulder-firing brace or a fixed magazine over 15 rounds.

What changed on this page

If this affects you