How to buy a gun in Chicago and Cook County

Chicago sits under three layers of firearm law at once: federal rules, Illinois statutes and Cook County ordinances. That makes buying here more involved than anywhere else in the state, but it is entirely workable once you know the order of operations. This guide walks through what a Chicago buyer needs in September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.

Step one: get your FOID

Nothing happens without a Firearm Owner's Identification card. Illinois requires one to acquire or possess a firearm or ammunition, and the Illinois State Police issue it. Apply online through the ISP firearms portal with your driver's licence or state ID, a recent photograph and the $10 fee. New applications have a published processing target of 30 calendar days, and renewals take longer. You must be 21, or under 21 with an eligible parent or guardian sponsor. Full detail is in the Illinois gun laws guide.

Step two: pick a dealer and order

We ship every firearm to a federally licensed dealer you choose at checkout, never to a home address. Chicago and the surrounding suburbs have plenty of dealers who handle incoming transfers; ask about the transfer fee up front, since it varies. Ammunition and most parts and optics ship to your door once we have a valid FOID on file for you.

When the gun arrives, you go in with your FOID and photo ID, complete ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs your background check. Then the state waiting period applies: at least 72 hours from the time the sale is applied for. Budget for two trips to the dealer.

Two details catch Chicago buyers out. The first is that the waiting period runs from the dealer counter, not from the moment you click buy, so a gun that arrives on a Friday is rarely going home that weekend. The second is that the dealer has to see a FOID that is currently valid, not one that expired while a renewal sits in the queue. Check the expiry date before you order, and use the Illinois State Police verification portal if you are unsure of your own status.

Step three: know what Cook County will not allow

Two separate assault weapons bans apply in Chicago. The state's Protect Illinois Communities Act, in force since January 10, 2023, bans the sale and delivery of listed semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns, certain attachments, .50 BMG rifles, and magazines over 10 rounds for rifles and 15 for handguns. The Seventh Circuit upheld that law on July 9, 2026. Cook County separately enforces its own Blair Holt assault weapons ordinance, which predates the state law and uses its own definitions.

The county ordinance is now before the Supreme Court. Review was granted in Viramontes v. Cook County on June 30, 2026, and argument is set for December 2026, with a decision expected by mid-2027. Until then both the state and county restrictions apply in Chicago. Our catalogue screens Illinois orders against the state list, but you should check the county ordinance yourself for anything unusual, and the City of Chicago no longer runs the firearm registry it repealed in 2013.

Getting it home and keeping it

Without a carry licence, a firearm in a vehicle must be unloaded and enclosed in a case, not loose in the glove box or console. A valid FOID has to be with you. Illinois storage law requires firearms to be kept so that a minor under 14 or a prohibited person cannot get to them without a lock or secure container, and a lost or stolen firearm must be reported to local police within 48 hours.

If you want to carry, that is a separate licence from the Illinois State Police with 16 hours of training behind it. It also does not cover CTA or Metra: the ban on licensed carry on public transportation survived its court challenge when the Supreme Court declined the case in April 2026. See the concealed carry licence guide for the full prohibited-places list, which in Cook County also includes the Forest Preserve District.

Where to shoot around Chicago

Illinois does not run a public rifle range anywhere near the city. On state ground the closest options are the hand trap and archery ranges at Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area near Wilmington in Will County and at Kankakee River State Park, with Silver Springs near Yorkville a similar distance west. The state's only full rifle, pistol and clay facility is the World Shooting and Recreational Complex at Sparta, in Randolph County near the Missouri line, which is a long day trip. Everything else in the metro is a club or a commercial indoor range, and most require a FOID at the door.

Hunting from the city

Cook County has a firearm deer permit quota but very little public hunting, and the Forest Preserve District is closed to it. Chicago hunters usually draw permits in Will, Kankakee, Grundy or LaSalle counties and hunt Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area, Kankakee River State Park or Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. The Kankakee and Illinois river corridors are the nearest serious waterfowl water. See the deer season guide for what is legal to carry in the field and the upland and waterfowl guide for the bird seasons, or start from your own Chicago page or the city index.

One last note on the catalogue: we keep a large live inventory rather than a shelf, so the fastest way to find what is legal to deliver in Cook County is to search the store and let the Illinois filter do the work.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.