Changes to the 2023 Illinois Gun Laws

Last updated on July 27th, 2024

Let’s take a moment to discuss the gun laws that have changed in Illinois starting January 1st, 2023. We will also discuss some expected changes based on the political climate and pending court cases. Also a reminder about some of the changes that took place last year.

Continue reading for more information that was not contained in the video.

   

A quick recap of 2022 in case you missed it…

• 2022 started with some predictable changes as the FOID Modernization Act went into effect.
• Later, we finally had a ruling regarding the prohibition on concealed firearms in the Cook County Forest Preserves.
• The Illinois State Police created the E-FOID.
• Then the State placed strict regulations on homemade firearms.
• The United States Supreme Court released a ruling very favorable to firearm freedoms simply referred to as the Bruen ruling. This ruling has opened the door to many new court challenges. (see below)

Changes that go into effect Jan 1st, 2023…

• As part of the FOID Modernization Act, another change that goes into effect is an automatic renewal of your FOID card. This automatic renewal is triggered whenever you buy a firearm from a licensed dealer, and only if you submit fingerprints to the state police.
• Any day now (if not already) the ATF is expected to release its new opinion regarding pistol braces. Please note some pistol braces WILL be reclassified as stocks, the only question is which braces. If you have one of these reclassified braces on your pistol, your pistol will become a short-barrel rifle, and you will become a felon. 

Likely changes we expect sometime in 2023…

Governor Pritzker has pledged a ban on semi-automatic rifles. We have seen a bill filed and expect to vote as early as January. This is a very bad bill that would ban virtually all semi-automatic firearms. It is very poorly written and unlikely to pass in its current form but be prepared for a so-called “assault weapon” ban to become law sometime in 2023. 

We can stop it if we voice our opinion to our elected officials. We must voice our opinions to our elected officials. If you don’t know how to speak up, I’ll help you!  

We never saw the Stolen Gun Database which the state was supposed to implement in 2022. Perhaps we will see the Illinois Stolen Gun Database in 2023.

The Illinois Court Cases We are Watching…

With the NYSRPA V. Bruen ruling taking effect in 2022, there has been a tidal wave of law suits against the government, some of which are going on in Illinois. In addition, some of these suits have been pending for years and we hope to hear judicial rulings on these cases in 2023. Let’s discuss some of these cases.

Federal Regulations and Laws..

There are several ATF rule changes which we are watching and expect final determination soon. These rule changes primarily would effect home made firearms and semi-automatic rifles.

The ATF has proposed rule changes that would reclassify many pistols as short-barrel rifles. Assuming this new rule goes into effect, which was planned to be implemented in December 2022, if the firearm weighs more than 4 lbs., and is longer than 26″, it would be considered a short barrel rifle if it has a pistol brace installed. There will be an additional “point” system to determine if the brace is actually a stock. Once this passes we will post the complete details.

Also, the ATF is attacking homemade firearms. ATF Final Rule 2021R-05F aka 80% Receiver Rule went into effect on August 24th. To over-simplify this new rule, selling completed firearms has always been regulated. This is why 80% receivers had been invented, they weren’t yet completed but were 80% complete. The ATF basically said 80% is too far within the manufacturing process to be considered anything but a receiver. So, with 80% receivers now being classified as firearms, we will continue to see partially completed receivers of perhaps the 50% variety. Don’t forget that Illinois also heavily regulated home made firearms in 2022. Of course the new rule is many pages long and can’t properly be described in one paragraph.

What’s New with Alpha Koncepts in 2023…

Those of you who have taken a class with us are part of what we call the Alpha Pack. Expect to see your student loyalty discount coupon in your email the first week of January. This discount is only being sent to past students. If you’re not already officially one of our students, sign up for a class today!

Last year we began offering basic CPR and Advanced First Aid training. These are classes everyone should take! 

We will pay the range fee for anyone who takes a concealed carry class, basic pistol class, or concealed carry renewal class. This offer expires at the end of January! Tell your friends. 

Assuming the state doesn’t completely ban rifles, we will begin offering rifle classes in 2023.  We will also begin offering basic and tactical shotgun classes in 2023.  

We’ve forged awesome relationships with the American Red Cross, the Aurora Sportsman’s Club, Brownells, and CCW Safe.  We continue to build our industry partnerships solidifying Alpha Koncepts reputation as a full-circle firearm training school and an industry leader in Illinois.