Effective January 1, 2014, the FOID law has been modified for Person to Person Firearms Transfers.

If a private party sells a firearm in Illinois to another private party, they must go to the Illinois State Police website and verify that the buyer has a valid FOID card. Visit the ISP website, click on “Firearm,” “Firearm Owner Identification (FOID Card)” and “FOID Person to Person Firearm Transfer.”

The seller must enter the buyers FOID and Birth date to verify the buyer has a valid FOID. The website will generate an “Approval Number.” The Approval Number must be listed on the paperwork that is generated by the Sale of the Firearm. The paperwork generated by the sale of the firearm must be kept for 10 years but it's not a bad idea to keep it forever.

Persons buying a firearm from a Federal Firearms License (FFL) are not covered by this law, as the records are generated under federal law. Persons buying or selling a firearm to family members are exempt under the law. Family members are identified as, husband, wife, son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, father, mother, stepfather, stepmother, brother, sister, nephew, niece, uncle, aunt, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law and daughter-in-law.

For additional information regarding the Gun Safety and Responsibility Act please click here or contact the Illinois State Police Services Bureau support line at 217-782-7980.