Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Guns in Schools in Illinois.’ Guns in Public. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 21 November
Relevant contents
Guns in Schools in Illinois
Elementary & Secondary Schools
Illinois prohibits the knowing possession or carrying of any firearm on or about the person in any public or private elementary or secondary school, on the person or in a vehicle on the real property of any school, in any conveyance owned, leased or contracted by a school to transport students to or from school or a school-related activity, or on the person or in a vehicle on any public way within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising a school.
This prohibition is subject to various exceptions, including possession in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person when transported:
1) broken down in a non-functioning state;
2) not immediately accessible; or
3) unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container by a person who has a valid FOID card.
Finally, state law prohibits any person age 18 or older from selling, giving or delivering any firearm to any person under age 18 in any public or private elementary or secondary school, or on the real property comprising any such school.
In Illinois, a school board must expel a student who possessed a firearm or other weapon at school, any school-sponsored activity or event, or any activity or event which bears a reasonable relationship to school, for not less than one year. The expulsion period may be modified by the superintendent, and the superintendent's determination may be modified by the board, on a case-by-case basis. A student subject to suspension or expulsion may be eligible for a transfer to an alternative school program.
Colleges & Universities
Illinois prohibits the knowing possession or carrying of any firearm on or about the person in any community college, college, or university, on the person or in a vehicle on the real property comprising any such school, in any conveyance owned, leased or contracted by a school to transport students to or from school or a school-related activity, or on the person or in a vehicle on any public way within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising such a school.
This prohibition is subject to several exceptions, including possession for use in training courses, parades, hunting, target shooting on school ranges, or otherwise with the consent of school authorities. The possession of a firearm by a FOID card holder is allowed in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person when transported:
1) broken down in a non-functioning state;
2) not immediately accessible; or
3) unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container.
Illinois prohibits any person age 18 or older from selling, giving or delivering any firearm to any person under age 18 in any community college, college or university, or on the real property comprising any such school…
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]