Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act Resources

Concealed Carry Survey Results

With the State of Illinois poised to begin issuing permits under the recently passed Illinois Concealed Carry Act, building owners are in the process of determining policies for their buildings. In late February 2014, we conducted a short survey to determine how many buildings have already adopted a policy and whether that policy is to permit or prohibit concealed weapons.

From these results, we learned that about half of BOMA/Chicago member buildings have decided to exercise their right to prohibit concealed weapons and have either already posted the required notice or are in the process of doing so.  A bit more than a third of member building owners have opted to permit concealed carry.  About 15% are still considering which policy to adopt.

Tenant preference and safety are among the major factors being considered by building owners when adopting a policy.   As expected, liability is also a concern, but remains an open question. Unlike many other states, the Illinois Concealed Carry Act is silent on the issue of liability and the law is too new to have been tested in Illinois courts.

Many buildings address firearms in their existing rules and regulations. Depending on the policy the building owners adopt or the applicability of current language with the new law, rules and regulations may need to be revised.

Michael Cornicelli, Executive Vice President of BOMA/Chicago, was interviewed by Channel 7 about the Concealed Carry law. We will let you know in an upcoming newsletter and/or social media post about when this interview will air.

Signage Regarding Prohibited Weapons on Premises

After the new law is fully implemented, private businesses, including buildings, will still have the right to prohibit concealed weapons on their properties. Businesses or buildings wishing to prohibit them will be required to post conspicuous signs at the entrances stating that concealed carry is not allowed.

The law requires the Illinois State Police to develop criteria for that signage. There is no specific deadline for when the rules and guidelines for the signage must be issued by the State Police, but they can be expected to be enacted before permits are issued.

Until standards for the signage have been adopted, there is nothing in the law that would prevent property owners from posting a notice or temporary sign to indicate that firearms are prohibited on the property. Advising tenants of the intended policy in advance may also help to alleviate any issues or concerns.

If concealed weapons are prohibited on the premises, the new law allows a person with a concealed carry permit to store the firearm in a vehicle in the premises parking lot. They are required to keep the weapon and ammunition in a locked vehicle or container and out of plain sight.  Permit holders are allowed to move the weapon outside of the vehicle for the purpose of storing it in the vehicle's trunk.