New Illinois laws will impact gun owners, public safety in 2026

Among the hundreds of new laws taking effect in Illinois in 2026 will be bills related to gun ownership, as well as crime reporting and other public safety issues.

One of the biggest pieces of legislation that passed the General Assembly concerned the safe storage of guns, with a Johns Hopkins University study in 2018 finding that more than half of American gun owners don’t safely store their weapons.

That study, along with statistics on school shootings and the weapons those assailants obtain, led to the passage of SB 0008, which requires gun owners to lock up firearms if a minor is present in their home, or if someone in their home is prohibited from possessing weapons.

Violation of the law could come with civil liability according to the legislation, and all fines collected would be deposited into the state’s Mental Health Fund.

Other new laws include bills designed to aid victims of sexual assault and human trafficking. SB 2323 creates a statewide response system for human-trafficking survivors, while HB 2602 eliminates the statute of limitations for involuntary servitude or human trafficking in the state.

HB 2873 also assists victims of stalking and clarifies standards that are used to determine whether harassment rises to the level of stalking, according to the General Assembly.

HB 1302 will strengthen reporting procedures for sexual assault and domestic violence, and will expand rights of victims in criminal proceedings.

Victims’ rights were also at the forefront of HB 3710, which ensures that victims of crimes are protected from deceptive investigation practices

Self-administered sexual assault evidence collection-kits will be illegal in the state of Illinois beginning on January 1 under the provisions of HB 2548. The goal of the bill is to prevent individuals from using the kits instead of receiving a medical exam from a trained professional, which can hinder investigations.

HB 3671 will allow for the prosecution of nonconsensual sexual image distribution either in the location that the image was sent from, or where the victim’s residence is, making for easier prosecutions for those sending such images.

Another Illinois law will make it easier for police to remove squatters from properties, as SB 1563 will classify most squatters as trespassers, making sure they can not exploit legal protections to delay their removal from properties they are occupying.

Missing persons reports will be impacted by SB 0024, which prohibits waiting periods for filing such reports and requires police to enter information into a federal database of people missing for more than 60 days, with cases required to stay active until they are solved.

Retired K-9 dogs will have their veterinary bills covered by the HB 3140 bill, which will establish a public fund to pay those expenses.