Illinois law requires gun owners to notify law enforcement regarding the loss or theft of a firearm. A Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card holder who whose firearm is lost or stolen must generally report the loss or theft to their local law enforcement agency within 72 hours after discovering the loss or theft.¹

This requirement does not apply if:²

• Failure to report is due to an act of God, act of war, or inability of a law enforcement agency to receive the report;

• The person is hospitalized, in a coma, or is otherwise seriously physically or mentally impaired as to prevent the person from reporting; or

• The person’s designee makes a report if the person is unable to make the report.

The relevant law enforcement agency must take a written report of the loss or theft and must, as soon as practical, enter the firearm’s serial number as stolen into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS).³

In 2021, Illinois passed legislation⁴ that will require the State Police to develop and make available by July 1, 2022, a publicly accessible Internet-based system listing the serial numbers of firearms that have been reported stolen so people may check the system prior to the sale or transfer of a firearm to ensure the gun was not reported as stolen.⁵

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1. 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-4.1(a).[↩]
2. 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-4.1(c).[↩]
3. 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-4.1(b).[↩]
4. 2021 IL HB 562.[↩]
5. 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/3(a-25).[↩]