SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Gov. JB Pritzker signed two bills into law Monday to promote gun safety and support law enforcement. Illinois gun owners can expect new requirements for firearm storage starting Jan. 1.
"Every year, hundreds of children unintentionally shoot themselves or others," Pritzker said. "In 75% of school shootings and 82% of adolescent firearm suicides, the gun involved belonged to a family member."
The Safe At Home Act requires all guns to be put in a locked container if there are minors, at-risk people, or anyone ineligible to hold a FOID card nearby. Gun owners will be fined up to $1,000 if a minor or prohibited person gains access to a gun that is not safely stored. The fine could increase to $10,000 if the person kills someone with that firearm.
"Illinois has built a framework based on two simple truths—education and awareness matters, and regulating access to firearms will save lives," said Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia). "Senate Bill 8 builds on this framework. It strengthens safe storage firearm requirements and tackles one of the fastest growing threats, which is stolen firearms."
Gun owners will not face any fines if their firearm is stolen by an intruder. However, owners must report the crime within 48 hours.Â
Republican lawmakers and Second Amendment advocates said the law will be found unconstitutional. Some argue the law creates excessive and confusing firearm storage mandates and places law-abiding gun owners at risk of persecution for simply exercising their right to self-defense.
"I wish we had more opportunity to talk this through," said Rep. CD Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville). "This is going to be challenged in court. This is going to be another case that the Attorney General is going to have to handle case after case after case. You're trying to do something that makes people safer, but you're actually infringing on their rights."
A separate law will give law enforcement better tools to track down criminals bringing illegal guns into Illinois. The legislation requires firearm tracing in all cases where a gun is recovered at the scene of a crime, used unlawfully, or is potentially associated with a crime.Â
Law enforcement agencies must also participate in the federal eTrace program to provide investigators with complete data on gun origins, trafficking patterns and links to crime. Sponsors said this will ensure consistent reporting and firearm tracing across the entire state, help close investigative loopholes and make communities safer.
"The same gun can often be used again and again in multiple shootings, multiple killings," said Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago). "We need to do something about that—that's what this bill does."
The Safe At Home Act passed out of both chambers on partisan votes this spring. A small group of Republicans supported the illegal gun tracing plan.Â
Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
