104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026
HB4227

Introduced , by Rep. Charles Meier

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

`430 ILCS 66/65`
`720 ILCS 5/21-6`	`from Ch. 38, par. 21-6`

Amends the Firearm Concealed Carry Act. Allows licensees who are specified judicial officers and attorneys to carry a concealed firearm in (i) any building, parking area, or portion of a building under the control of an officer of the executive or legislative branch of government; (ii) any building designated for matters before a circuit court, the Appellate Court, or the Supreme Court; (iii) any building or portion of a building under the control of the Supreme Court; or (iv) any building or portion of a building under the control of a unit of local government. Specifies that some judicial officers and attorneys must obtain the written consent of their supervisors before carrying a firearm in one of the specified buildings. Specifies that these provisions do not allow a licensee to carry a firearm in the Capitol Complex in Springfield, Illinois. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that these licensees are exempt from the offense of unauthorized possession or storage of weapons.

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A BILL FOR

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1 AN ACT concerning safety.

2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3 represented in the General Assembly:

4 Section 5. The Firearm Concealed Carry Act is amended by

5 changing Section 65 as follows:

6 (430 ILCS 66/65)

7 Sec. 65. Prohibited areas.

8 (a) A licensee under this Act shall not knowingly carry a

9 firearm on or into:

10 (1) Any building, real property, and parking area

11 under the control of a public or private elementary or

12 secondary school.

13 (2) Any building, real property, and parking area

14 under the control of a pre-school or child care facility,

15 including any room or portion of a building under the

16 control of a pre-school or child care facility. Nothing in

17 this paragraph shall prevent the operator of a child care

18 facility in a family home from owning or possessing a

19 firearm in the home or license under this Act, if no child

20 under child care at the home is present in the home or the

21 firearm in the home is stored in a locked container when a

22 child under child care at the home is present in the home.

23 (3) Any building, parking area, or portion of a

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1 building under the control of an officer of the executive

2 or legislative branch of government, provided that nothing

3 in this paragraph shall prohibit a licensee from carrying

4 a concealed firearm onto the real property, bikeway, or

5 trail in a park regulated by the Department of Natural

6 Resources or any other designated public hunting area or

7 building where firearm possession is permitted as

8 established by the Department of Natural Resources under

9 Section 1.8 of the Wildlife Code.

10 (4) Any building designated for matters before a

11 circuit court, the Appellate Court ~~appellate court~~, or the

12 Supreme Court, or any building or portion of a building

13 under the control of the Supreme Court.

14 (5) Any building or portion of a building under the

15 control of a unit of local government.

16 (6) Any building, real property, and parking area

17 under the control of an adult or juvenile detention or

18 correctional institution, prison, or jail.

19 (7) Any building, real property, and parking area

20 under the control of a public or private hospital or

21 hospital affiliate, mental health facility, or nursing

22 home.

23 (8) Any bus, train, or form of transportation paid for

24 in whole or in part with public funds, and any building,

25 real property, and parking area under the control of a

26 public transportation facility paid for in whole or in

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1 part with public funds.

2 (9) Any building, real property, and parking area

3 under the control of an establishment that serves alcohol

4 on its premises, if more than 50% of the establishment's

5 gross receipts within the prior 3 months are ~~is~~ from the

6 sale of alcohol. The owner of an establishment who

7 knowingly fails to prohibit concealed firearms on its

8 premises as provided in this paragraph or who knowingly

9 makes a false statement or record to avoid the prohibition

10 on concealed firearms under this paragraph is subject to

11 the penalty under subsection (c-5) of Section 10-1 of the

12 Liquor Control Act of 1934.

13 (10) Any public gathering or special event conducted

14 on property open to the public that requires the issuance

15 of a permit from the unit of local government, provided

16 this prohibition shall not apply to a licensee who must

17 walk through a public gathering in order to access his or

18 her residence, place of business, or vehicle.

19 (11) Any building or real property that has been

20 issued a special event retailer's ~~Special Event Retailer's~~

21 license as defined in Section 1-3.17.1 of the Liquor

22 Control Act of 1934 during the time designated for the

23 sale of alcohol by the special event retailer's ~~Special~~

24 ~~Event Retailer's~~ license, or a special ~~Special~~ use permit

25 license as defined in subsection (q) of Section 5-1 of the

26 Liquor Control Act of 1934 during the time designated for

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1 the sale of alcohol by the special ~~Special~~ use permit

2 license.

3 (12) Any public playground.

4 (13) Any public park, athletic area, or athletic

5 facility under the control of a municipality or park

6 district, provided nothing in this Section shall prohibit

7 a licensee from carrying a concealed firearm while on a

8 trail or bikeway if only a portion of the trail or bikeway

9 includes a public park.

10 (14) Any real property under the control of the Cook

11 County Forest Preserve District.

12 (15) Any building, classroom, laboratory, medical

13 clinic, hospital, artistic venue, athletic venue,

14 entertainment venue, officially recognized

15 university-related organization property, whether owned or

16 leased, and any real property, including parking areas,

17 sidewalks, and common areas under the control of a public

18 or private community college, college, or university.

19 (16) Any building, real property, or parking area

20 under the control of a gaming facility licensed under the

21 Illinois Gambling Act or the Illinois Horse Racing Act of

22 1975, including an inter-track wagering location licensee.

23 (17) Any stadium, arena, or the real property or

24 parking area under the control of a stadium, arena, or any

25 collegiate or professional sporting event.

26 (18) Any building, real property, or parking area

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1 under the control of a public library.

2 (19) Any building, real property, or parking area

3 under the control of an airport.

4 (20) Any building, real property, or parking area

5 under the control of an amusement park.

6 (21) Any building, real property, or parking area

7 under the control of a zoo or museum.

8 (22) Any street, driveway, parking area, property,

9 building, or facility, owned, leased, controlled, or used

10 by a nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development site

11 or facility regulated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory

12 Commission. The licensee shall not under any circumstance

13 store a firearm or ammunition in his or her vehicle or in a

14 compartment or container within a vehicle located anywhere

15 in or on the street, driveway, parking area, property,

16 building, or facility described in this paragraph.

17 (23) Any area where firearms are prohibited under

18 federal law.

19 (a-5) Nothing in this Act shall prohibit a public or

20 private community college, college, or university from:

21 (1) prohibiting persons from carrying a firearm within

22 a vehicle owned, leased, or controlled by the college or

23 university;

24 (2) developing resolutions, regulations, or policies

25 regarding student, employee, or visitor misconduct and

26 discipline, including suspension and expulsion;

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1 (3) developing resolutions, regulations, or policies

2 regarding the storage or maintenance of firearms, which

3 must include designated areas where persons can park

4 vehicles that carry firearms; and

5 (4) permitting the carrying or use of firearms for the

6 purpose of instruction and curriculum of officially

7 recognized programs, including, but not limited to,

8 military science and law enforcement training programs, or

9 in any designated area used for hunting purposes or target

10 shooting.

11 (a-10) The owner of private real property of any type may

12 prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms on the property

13 under his or her control. The owner must post a sign in

14 accordance with subsection (d) of this Section indicating that

15 firearms are prohibited on the property, unless the property

16 is a private residence.

17 (b) Notwithstanding subsections (a), (a-5), and (a-10) of

18 this Section except under paragraph (22) or (23) of subsection

19 (a), any licensee prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm

20 into the parking area of a prohibited location specified in

21 subsection (a), (a-5), or (a-10) of this Section shall be

22 permitted to carry a concealed firearm on or about his or her

23 person within a vehicle into the parking area and may store a

24 firearm or ammunition concealed in a case within a locked

25 vehicle or locked container out of plain view within the

26 vehicle in the parking area. A licensee may carry a concealed

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1 firearm in the immediate area surrounding his or her vehicle

2 within a prohibited parking lot area only for the limited

3 purpose of storing or retrieving a firearm within the

4 vehicle's trunk. For purposes of this subsection, "case"

5 includes a glove compartment or console that completely

6 encloses the concealed firearm or ammunition, the trunk of the

7 vehicle, or a firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other

8 container.

9 (c) A licensee shall not be in violation of this Section

10 while he or she is traveling along a public right of way that

11 touches or crosses any of the premises under subsection (a),

12 (a-5), or (a-10) of this Section if the concealed firearm is

13 carried on his or her person in accordance with the provisions

14 of this Act or is being transported in a vehicle by the

15 licensee in accordance with all other applicable provisions of

16 law.

17 (c-5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section,

18 a licensee is not in violation of this Act for carrying a

19 firearm in a prohibited area described in paragraph (3), (4),

20 or (5) of subsection (a) of this Section if the licensee is a

21 Supreme Court Judge; the Presiding Judge of a judicial

22 division in an appellate district; an Appellate Court Judge

23 who has the written consent of the Presiding Judge of the

24 Appellate Court Judge's appellate division; the Chief Judge of

25 a judicial circuit; a Circuit Judge who has the written

26 consent of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Judge's judicial

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1 circuit; an Associate Judge who has the written consent of the

2 Chief Judge of the Associate Judge's judicial circuit; the

3 State's Attorney of a county; an Assistant State's Attorney

4 who has the written consent of the State's Attorney of the

5 county; the Attorney General; an Assistant Attorney General

6 who has the written consent of the Attorney General; the Chief

7 Public Defender of a county; a public defender who has the

8 written consent of the Chief Public Defender of the county;

9 the Director or a deputy director of the Office of the State's

10 Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor; an attorney of the Office of

11 the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor who has the written

12 consent of the Director or a deputy director of the Office of

13 the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor; the State

14 Appellate Defender or a deputy defender of the Office of the

15 State Appellate Defender; or an attorney of the Office of the

16 State Appellate Defender who has the written consent of the

17 State Appellate Defender or a deputy defender of the Office of

18 the State Appellate Defender. This subsection (c-5) does not

19 authorize a licensee to carry a firearm in the Capitol Complex

20 in Springfield, Illinois.

21 (d) Signs stating that the carrying of firearms is

22 prohibited shall be clearly and conspicuously posted at the

23 entrance of a building, premises, or real property specified

24 in this Section as a prohibited area, unless the building or

25 premises is a private residence. Signs shall be of a uniform

26 design as established by the Illinois State Police and shall

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1 be 4 inches by 6 inches in size. The Illinois State Police

2 shall adopt rules for standardized signs to be used under this

3 subsection.

4 (Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19; 102-538, eff. 8-20-21;

5 revised 7-11-25.)

6 Section 10. The Criminal Code of 2012 is amended by

7 changing Section 21-6 as follows:

8 (720 ILCS 5/21-6) (from Ch. 38, par. 21-6)

9 Sec. 21-6. Unauthorized Possession or Storage of Weapons.

10 (a) Except as otherwise authorized under subsection (c-5)

11 of Section 65 of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, a person who

12 ~~Whoever~~ possesses or stores any weapon enumerated in Section

13 33A-1 in any building or on land supported in whole or in part

14 with public funds or in any building on such land without prior

15 written permission from the chief security officer for such

16 land or building commits a Class A misdemeanor.

17 (b) The chief security officer must grant any reasonable

18 request for permission under paragraph (a).

19 (Source: P.A. 89-685, eff. 6-1-97.)