Assault Weapons Registration To Begin In October, State Police Say

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Starting next months, Illinois residents who already own guns forbidden from sale under the state's new assault weapons ban will be able to file paperwork with state police to allow them to continue to possess them next year.

Under the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which defines and bans the sale and possession of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines for most people, gun owners must submit affidavits to Illinois State Police before Jan. 1, 2024, in order to continue to hold on to them legally.

Illinois State Police on Monday filed emergency rules with the Secretary of State and will begin accepting affidavits online, starting Oct. 1, through the state's Firearm Owners Identification or FOID card portal.

Firearm owners must provide the make, model, serial number of each gun in the endorsement affidavits, according to the law. They must also attest that they own a locking mechanism.

Proposed Bans on semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 had failed to garner sufficient support among Illinois legislatures until last year, when a 21-year-old who had legally acquired five firearms allegedly opened fire from a rooftop overlooking the Highland Park 4th of July parade last year, shooting more than 50 people, seven fatally.

The ban passed in mostly party-line votes in January, and last month, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the ban, overturning a March decision from a Macon County judge in a 4-3 vote that found it did not violate the state constitution's equal protection clause.

The U.S. Supreme Court has so far declined to intervene in Second Amendment challenges to the law as they work their way through federal courts, where judges have opted to allow the law to be enforced pending appeals.

Emergency rules can remain in place for up to 150 days before state agencies must submit permanent rules, which are then subject to review by a bipartisan group of lawmakers called the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, or JCAR.

More information and a series of questions and answers about implementation of the assault weapons ban is available on the Illinois State Police website.

Those who need help submitting an affidavit can also visit an ISP FOID kiosk, which are located in Lockport, Springfield, Collinsville and Du Quoin, during weekday business hours.

"Do not bring your weapon, ammunition, or accessories if you visit a Kiosk," state police advised.