(A) No person shall knowingly:
(1) Sell, manufacture, purchase, possess or carry 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, but which shall not be deemed to include crossbows, common or compound bows and/or underwater spearguns in accordance with 720 ILCS 5/24-1(e)(1). Nor shall the prohibition of 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, apply to a person who possesses a currently valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card previously issued in his or her name by the Illinois State Police, or to a person or an entity engaged in the business of selling or manufacturing switchblade knives, in accordance with 720 ILCS 5/24-1(e)(2);
(2) Carry or possess 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;
(3) Carry 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;
(4) 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)(4) 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, being 430 ILCS 66/1 et seq., by a person who has been issued a currently valid license under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act.
(5) Set a spring gun;
(6) Possesses any device or attachment of any kind designed, used or intended for use in silencing the report of any firearm;
(7) Sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses or carries:
(a) A machine gun, which shall be defined for the purposes of this division (A)(7)(a) as any weapon, which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot without manually reloading by a single function of the trigger, including the frame or receiver of any such weapon, or sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses or carries any combination of parts designed or intended for use in converting any weapon into a machine gun, or any combination or parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person;
(b) Any rifle having one or more barrels less than 16 inches in length or a shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length or any weapon made from a rifle or shotgun, whether by alteration, modification or otherwise, if such a weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches; and/or
(c) Any bomb, bomb-shell, grenade, bottle or other container containing an explosive substance of over one-quarter ounce for like purposes, such as, but not limited to, black powder bombs and Molotov cocktails or artillery projectiles.
(8) (a) Carries or possesses any firearm, stun gun or taser or other deadly weapon in any place which is licensed to sell intoxicating beverages, or at any public gathering held pursuant to a license issued by any governmental body or any public gathering at which an admission is charged, excluding a place where a showing, demonstration or lecture involving the exhibition of unloaded firearms is conducted;
(b) This division (A)(8) does not apply to any auction or raffle of a firearm held pursuant to a license or permit issued by a governmental body, nor does it apply to persons engaged in firearm safety training courses;
(9) Carries or possesses in a vehicle or on or about his or her person any pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or firearm or ballistic knife, when he or she is hooded, robed or masked in such manner as to conceal his or her identity;
(10) Carries or possesses on or about his or her person, upon any public street, alley or other public lands within the corporate limits of the city, 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)(10) 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 wit the Firearm Concealed Carry Act by a person who has been issued a currently valid license under th Firearm Concealed Carry Act.
(11) Sells, manufactures, delivers, imports, possesses, or purchases any assault weapon attachment or .50 caliber cartridge in violation of 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9 or any explosive bullet. EXPLOSIVE BULLET shall mean 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. CARTRIDGE means 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 the tube between the projectile and the cap;
(12) Manufactures, possesses, sells or offers to sell, purchase, manufacture, import, transfer, or use any device, part, kit, tool, accessory, or combination of parts that is designed to and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm above the standard rate of fire for semiautomatic firearms that is not equipped with that device, pat, or combination of parts;
(13) Carries or possesses any assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle in violation of 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9; or
(14) Manufactures, sells, delivers, imports, or purchases any assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle in violation of 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9.
(B) A STUN GUN or TASER, as used in division (A), 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 a 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) (1994 Code, § 137.01) Penalty, see § 10.99
Statutory reference:
Silencers on guns; machine guns; 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), (9) and (c)(2), respectively