720 ILCS 5/24-4.1 – Failure to Report a Lost or Stolen Firearm

720 ILCS 5/24-4.1 – Failure to Report a Lost or Stolen Firearm

This law says that if your gun is lost or stolen, you must tell the police within 48 hours.

This Illinois law explains that gun owners must report any lost or stolen firearms to the police within two days. It also describes what information needs to be shared, what exceptions apply, and what penalties can happen if someone doesn’t report it.

(a) If a person with a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card loses a gun or has it stolen, they must report it to their local police within 48 hours of realizing it’s gone. The report must include:

1. The date the gun was lost or stolen.
2. The exact or last known location where it was lost or stolen.
3. The caliber, make, model, and serial number of the gun.
4. A short description of how it was lost or stolen.
5. The person’s FOID Card number, if they have one.

(b) The police must take the written report and enter the firearm’s information into the state’s law enforcement database (LEADS) within 48 hours after getting the report.

(c) A person is not breaking the law if:

1. They could not report because of a natural disaster, war, or because police could not accept the report.
2. They were in the hospital, in a coma, or too sick or hurt to report it.
3. Someone they chose made the report for them because they couldn’t do it themselves.

(d) Sentence: The first time someone breaks this rule, it’s a petty offense. If they break it again, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor.

(e) Prosecutors have up to 3 years from when police discover the failure to report to charge someone for not reporting the lost or stolen firearm.

View the full statute here.

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