New laws: Gun storage, police background check changes take effect in 2026

Gun owners in Illinois must take new steps in 2026 to secure their firearms in their homes, particularly when children are present.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 8, known as the Safe Gun Storage Act, in late July, which prohibits gun owners from storing their weapons in an unsecured way at any location where they know that the gun could be accessed by a minor, a person at risk of harming themselves or others, or by a person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Under the law, gun owners will be required to keep them in a locked container so that they are inaccessible or unusable by anyone other than the owner. Owners who violate the law could be subject to fines as high as $10,000.

Gun owners must also report lost or stolen firearms to police within 48 hours of discovering a gun missing. That’s down from the previous 72-hour requirement.

Background checks for police officers

State lawmakers passed a bill in response to the murder of Springfield resident Sonya Massey in 2024. Massey, a Black woman, was killed when former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, a white man, shot her in her kitchen while investigating a reported prowler. Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder in October.

Capitol News Illinois reporting in 2024 revealed that Grayson had a history of reprimands and disobeying superiors at departments that previously employed him.

Under Senate Bill 1953, a police department or sheriff’s office making a hire would be required to request employment personnel files from the applicant’s previous employers, including other law enforcement agencies. The previous employer would be required to share the information within 14 days.

Law enforcement applicants would be required to sign a document authorizing the release of information, including military service records, police discipline databases, employment and criminal history, driving records, academic credentials, a credit check, and more.

“I feel confident that going forward and over time, our communities and law enforcement will have built a trusting relationship, and I will have kept my promise to my childhood friends and Sonya’s mother,” Sen. Doris Turner, a Springfield Democrat who sponsored the bill and knows Massey’s family, said at an August news conference.

Gun permits for offenders

Senate Bill 1899 creates a path for first-time gun offenders to obtain a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card and legally own a gun.

First-time offenders are allowed to apply for a FOID card after receiving a court order demonstrating they successfully completed the First Time Weapons Offense Diversion Program and are otherwise eligible to own a gun.

The opportunity narrowly applies to people charged with a Class 4 felony, which is the lowest level charge for illegally possessing a firearm. The bill received bipartisan support in the legislature, and proponents said it will mostly benefit young people.

Human trafficking statute of limitations

The statute of limitations on cases of human trafficking of minors is going away.

House Bill 2602 removes the 25-year window for victims of involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, or trafficking to pursue charges from crimes that happened while they were a minor. They will now be allowed to bring charges at any time.

Rep. Anne Stava, D-Naperville, said in April that the 25-year cap was protecting human traffickers who “really don’t deserve peace of mind.” The bill unanimously passed the General Assembly.

Missing persons reports

Senate Bill 24 prohibits police departments from establishing waiting periods before they accept a missing persons report. The law requires police to immediately enter information about a person reported missing into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System.

The law also requires police to keep missing persons cases open until the person is located.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Ben Szalinski

Ben joined CNI in November 2024 as a Statehouse reporter covering the General Assembly from Springfield and other events happening around state government. He previously covered Illinois government for The Daily Line following time in McHenry County with the Northwest Herald. Ben is also a graduate of the University of Illinois Springfield PAR program. He is a lifelong Illinois resident and is originally from Mundelein.