(A) Offenses. A person commits the offense of unlawful use of weapons when he or she knowingly:
(1) Sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses or carries any bludgeon, black-jack, slung-shot, sand-club, sand-bag, metal knuckles or other knuckle weapon regardless of its composition, throwing star or any knife, commonly referred to as a switchblade knife, which has a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in the handle of the knife, or a ballistic knife, which is a device that propels a knifelike blade as a projectile by means of a coil spring, elastic material or compressed gas;
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(1))
(2) Carries or possesses with intent to use the same unlawfully against another, a dagger, dirk, billy, dangerous knife, razor, stiletto, broken bottle or other piece of glass, stun gun or taser or any other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument of like character;
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(2))
(3) Carries or possesses with intent to use the same unlawfully against another, any firearm in a church, synagogue, mosque or other building, structure or place used for religious worship;
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(2.5))
(4) Carries on or about his or her person or in any vehicle, a tear gas gun projector or bomb or any object containing noxious liquid gas or substance, other than an object containing a non-lethal noxious liquid gas or substance designed solely for personal defense carried by a person 18 years of age or older;
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(3))
(5) Carries or possesses in any vehicle or concealed on or about his or her person, except when on his or her land or in his or her own abode, legal dwelling or fixed place of business, or on the land or in the legal dwelling of another person as an invitee with that person’s permission, any pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or other firearm, except that this division (A)(5) does not apply to or affect transportation of weapons that meet one of the following conditions:
(a) Are broken down in a non-functioning state;
(b) Are not immediately accessible;
(c) Are unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box or other container by a person who has been issued a currently valid firearm owner’s identification card; or
(d) Are carried or possessed in accordance with the Firearm Concealed Carry Act by a person who has been issued a currently valid license under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act.
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(4))
(6) Sets a spring gun;
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(5))
(7) (a) Carries or possesses on or about his or her person, upon any public street, alley or other public lands within the village limits, except when an invitee thereon or therein, for the purpose of the display of such weapon or the lawful commerce in weapons, or except when on his or her land or in his or her own abode, legal dwelling or fixed place of business, or on the land or in the legal dwelling of another person as an invitee with that person’s permission, any pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or other firearm, except that this division (A)(7) does not apply to or affect transportation of weapons that meet one of the following conditions:
1. Are broken down in a non-functioning state;
2. Are not immediately accessible;
3. Are unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box or other container by a person who has been issued a currently valid firearm owner’s identification card; or
4. Are carried or possessed in accordance with the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, being 430 ILCS 66/1 et seq., by a person who has been issued a currently valid license under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act.
(b) A STUN GUN OR TASER, as used in this division (A)(7), means:
1. Any device which is powered by electrical charging units, such as batteries, and which fires one or several barbs attached to a length of wire and which, upon hitting a human, can send out a current capable of disrupting the person’s nervous system in such a manner as to render him or her incapable of normal functioning; or
2. Any device which is powered by electrical charging units, such as batteries, and which, upon contact with a human or clothing worn by a human, can send out current capable of disrupting the person’s nervous system in such a manner as to render him or her incapable of normal functioning.
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(10))
(8) Sells, manufactures or purchases any explosive bullet. For purposes of this division (A)(8), the following definitions apply.
(a) CARTRIDGE. A tubular metal case having a projectile affixed at the front thereof and a cap or primer at the rear end thereof, with the propellant contained in such tube between the projectile and the cap.
(b) EXPLOSIVE BULLET. The projectile portion of an ammunition cartridge which contains or carries an explosive charge which will explode upon contact with the flesh of a human or an animal.
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(11))
(9) Carries or possesses on or about his or her person while in a building occupied by a unit of government, a billy club, other weapon of like character or other instrument of like character intended for use as a weapon. For the purposes of this division (A)(9), BILLY CLUB means a short stick or club commonly carried by police officers which is either telescopic or constructed of a solid piece of wood or other human-made material.
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(13))
(B) Exemptions.
(1) Crossbows, common or compound bows and underwater spearguns are exempted from the definition of ballistic knife, as defined in division (A)(1) above.
(2) The provision of division (A)(1) above prohibiting the sale, manufacture, purchase, possession or carrying of any knife, commonly referred to as a switchblade knife, which has a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in the handle of the knife, does not apply to a person who possesses a currently valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the state police or to a person or an entity engaged in the business of selling or manufacturing switchblade knives.
(720 ILCS 5/24-1(e)) Penalty, see § 130.99
Statutory reference:
Provisions concerning silencers on guns; machine guns; bombs; possession of weapon in place authorized to sell intoxicating beverages or at public gathering; possession of weapon while hooded, robed and/or masked; or possession of weapons on school or university grounds (all of which are felonies), see 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(6), (7), (8) and (9) and 24-1(c), respectively