Background

Section 7.9 of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act (20 ILCS 3930/7.9) created the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force (Task Force). The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) provides administrative support for the Task Force with assistance from the Illinois State Police (ISP). The full legislation establishing the Task Force can be found in Appendix A.

The Task Force is required to (20 ILCS 3930/7.9(b)):

  • Identify and research all available grants, resources, and revenue that may be applied for and used by all entities responsible for reporting federal and State firearm prohibitors to the Illinois State Police and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
  • Identify weaknesses in reporting and recommend a strategy to direct resources and revenue to ensuring reporting is reliable, accurate, and timely.
  • Inventory all statutorily mandated firearm and gun violence related data collection and reporting requirements, along with the agency responsible for collecting that data, and identify gaps in those requirements.
  • Submit a coordinated application with and through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for federal funds from the National Criminal History Improvement Program and the NICS Acts Record Improvement Program.

Firearm prohibitors are factors that prohibit a person from transferring or possessing a firearm, firearm ammunition, Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID card), or concealed carry license (20 ILCS 3930/7.9(a)). State firearm prohibitors for Illinois are listed in the FOID Act (430 ILCS 65/8). Persons are prohibited from firearm possession or licensure for any of the following conditions (paraphrased from 430 ILCS 65/8 in this non-exhaustive summary of the 21 firearm prohibitors listed in the statute, limited to firearm prohibitors that are revisited later in this report):

  • They are under 21 years of age and have been convicted of a misdemeanor or adjudged delinquent, other than for a traffic offense
  • They have been convicted of a felony under Illinois law or any other jurisdiction
  • They have been a patient of a mental health facility in the past five years
  • Their mental condition is of such a nature that they pose a clear and present danger to themselves or others
  • They have an intellectual disability
  • They have been convicted within the past five years of battery, assault, aggravated assault, violation of an order of protection, or a similar offense in another jurisdiction in which a firearm was used or possessed
  • They have been convicted of domestic battery, aggravated domestic battery, or a similar offense in another jurisdiction
  • They are a minor who has been subject to a petition alleging they are a delinquent minor for the commission of an offense that, if committed by an adult, would be a felony
  • They are an adult who has been adjudicated a delinquent minor under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 for the commission of an offense that if committed by an adult would be a felony
  • They have been adjudicated as a person with a mental disability
  • They have been found to have a developmental disability

This report is the fourth annual Task Force report, encompassing proceedings during State Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025). The previous three reports described the following Task Force activities:

  • The Task Force listed statutory requirements associated with firearm prohibitor data collection and, for each requirement, discussed current reporting processes, and made a first pass at identifying reporting challenges. These efforts are described in the 2023 report.
  • The Task Force applied for and was awarded federal National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) funds, enabling Illinois justice system agencies to purchase LiveScan digital fingerprinting machines should they currently be using outdated software or paper-based processes. This effort is described in the 2023 report.
  • The Task Force reviewed statutory language pertaining to the collection of firearm prohibitor data in instances in which revised or expanded language could improve data quality. This exercise resulted in the Illinois Department of Human Services formally submitting a legislative proposal. The proposal expands the statutory definition of “qualified examiner” to include physician assistants and adds advanced practice psychiatric nurses to several provisions listing medical professionals making mental health determinations (physicians, clinical Psychologists, and “qualified examiners” are required reporters for several firearm prohibitors related to FOID card applicants.) These efforts are described in the 2024 report.

Direction – State Fiscal Year 2025

The Task Force met seven times during State Fiscal Year 2025, on the following dates:

  • October 23, 2024
  • January 23, 2025
  • February 21, 2025
  • March 24, 2025
  • April 24, 2025
  • June 6, 2025
  • June 23, 2025

At these meetings, the Task Force continued to assess current firearm prohibitor reporting processes and discussed goals and focal areas for the two remaining fiscal years covered by the state statute. For reporting processes, the Task Force placed emphasis on the following statutory requirement:

“. . . [to] identify weaknesses in reporting and recommend a strategy to direct resources and revenue to ensuring reporting is reliable, accurate, and timely. The Task Force shall inventory all statutorily mandated firearm and gun violence related data collection and reporting requirements, along with the agency responsible for collecting that data, and identify gaps in those requirements.” (20 ILCS 3930/7.9(b)).

As mentioned above, the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force in State Fiscal Year 2023 inventoried statutorily mandated data collection and reporting requirements and made an initial effort to identify gaps. For this report, the Task Force revisited reporting processes, with greater emphasis on identifying specific process gaps and recommending solutions.

During these discussions, the Task Force placed greatest emphasis on three reporting processes:

  • Mental health reporting
  • Clear and present danger reporting
  • Court disposition reporting

These reporting processes provide information about the firearm prohibitors listed in the Illinois FOID Act. The following sections describe Task Force proceedings for these three processes. Mental health reporting overlaps with clear and present danger reporting. As will be described below, the Illinois Department of Human Service’s FOID Mental Health Reporting System incorporates clear and present danger reporting, and this reporting is also handled by the Illinois State Police through a separate process. The two reporting processes are combined below.

In discussions about the three reporting processes, training and awareness emerged as an overarching theme in all firearm prohibitor reporting. Discourse on training and awareness took two forms.

First, Task Force members offered recommendations for expanding on or taking more nuanced approaches to training and awareness.

Second, Task Force members offered information on past, current, and future efforts to increase reporting awareness and train reporters. During discussions about reporting gaps and areas requiring improvement, Task Force members mentioned such efforts in order to provide clarity on areas that did not need change per se because they already had had time and resources devoted to them. Specifically, Task Force members described efforts for increased awareness and training focused on: (1) ensuring that required reporters (i.e., any individual who, based on their professional role, is required to enter information into an established reporting system that the Illinois State Police relies on for FOID decision-making) are aware of reporting requirements and understand reporting processes, or (2) engaging required reporters when issues were noted.

Task Force proceedings pertaining to reporting awareness and training are detailed more fully in ”Discussion and Feedback.” In addition to discussing reporting gaps and recommended improvements, Task Force members discussed goals and focal areas for the two remaining fiscal years in which the enacting statute remains in effect. For further recommendations on future goals and focal areas, the Task Force members also responded to an open-ended survey about them. Across these two feedback mechanisms (discussion and written feedback), two general topic areas were raised: (1) firearm restraining orders (430 ILCS 67/5), with an emphasis on staying informed about ongoing statewide policy discussions and implementation trends; and (2) changes to Illinois order of protection statutes pursuant to House Bill 4144 (Karina’s Law), again with an emphasis on staying informed but also for the purpose of considering strategies for understanding statewide implementation. Both topics are related to the collection of firearm prohibitor data. For example, ISP currently receives and utilizes notifications of firearm restraining orders and violations of orders of protections to revoke FOID cards and deny FOID card applications. Yet, despite their relevance to the Task Force, both topics have been deliberated upon by other statewide bodies, not by the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force. Nonetheless, Task Force members saw a need to remain updated on both and, where appropriate, make recommendations because of their association to firearm prohibitor data collection. Task Force proceedings pertaining to both topics are described in the next sections.

Discussion and Feedback

Throughout State Fiscal Year 2025, the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force discussed firearm prohibitor reporting processes, with emphases on mental health reporting, clear and present danger reporting, and court disposition reporting.

Mental Health Reporting / Clear and Present Danger Reporting

Five of the firearm prohibitors listed in the “Background” section pertain to the mental fitness of FOID applicants, barring the applicant from obtaining a FOID card when any of the following conditions apply (430 ILCS 65/8):

  • They have been a patient of a mental health facility in the past five years
  • Their mental condition is of such a nature that they pose a clear and present danger to themselves or others
  • They have an intellectual disability
  • They have been adjudicated as a person with a mental disability
  • They have been found to have a developmental disability

A person poses a clear and present danger if they (430 ILCS 65/1.1):

  • Communicate a serious threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable victim or pose a clear and imminent risk of serious physical injury to himself, herself, or another person as determined by a physician, clinical psychologist, or qualified examiner.
  • Demonstrate threatening physical or verbal behavior, such as violent, suicidal, or assaultive threats, actions, or other behavior, as determined by a physician, clinical psychologist, qualified examiner, school administrator, or law enforcement official.

A large number of agencies are statutorily obligated to report information that would enable the Illinois State Police to deny FOID applicants based on their mental fitness. Such agencies include behavioral health professionals from a variety of professional settings (including hospitals, mental health facilities, and private practices), law enforcement agencies, circuit court clerks, and school administrators.

The FOID Act assigns the Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois State Police responsibility for collecting information from this large number of potential reporting agencies. For human services, the FOID Act requires behavioral health professionals to report statutorily required information to the Illinois Department of Human Services (430 ILCS 65/8.1©; 430 ILCS 65/8.1(d)(1)). In particular, they are required to report persons who have been patients in a mental health facility, have a developmental disability, have an intellectual disability, or pose clear and present danger. For policing, the FOID Act requires law enforcement agencies and school administrators to report statutorily required information to the Illinois State Police, specifically, persons who pose clear and present danger (430 ILCS 65/8.1(d)(2)). Across all sources, clear and present danger notifications must be made to the Illinois State Police within 24 hours of making the determination.

The Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois State Police, respectively, host the following reporting systems designed to facilitate these responsibilities:

  • Illinois Department of Human Services’ FOID Mental Health Reporting System
  • Illinois State Police Law Enforcement Portal, which includes a clear and present danger reporting module

The Task Force discussed these two reporting systems. During these discussions, Task Force members, in particular representatives from the Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois State Police, emphasized progress and positive results - not reporting gaps and limitations. Prominence was given to training and awareness efforts.

Task Force Discussion and Feedback

Across Task Force discussions and survey feedback, one idea emerged as a potential future direction for the Task Force:

The Task Force has spent considerable time discussing training and awareness efforts targeting required mental health reporters in private facilities. The Task Force should consider whether training and awareness efforts targeting behavioral health providers in alternate work settings are necessary.

Several examples of less traditional providers in alternate work settings were suggested, including behavioral health professionals in correctional settings, schools, and crisis response programs. The latter two examples, schools and crisis response programs, were mentioned specifically in the context of clear and present danger reporting.

This suggestion received moderate support. Multiple Task Force members supported focusing on behavioral health providers in alternate work settings. However, Task Force members representing the Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Human Services stated that their current practices already target schools and crisis response programs. In State Fiscal Year 2026, the Task Force will determine whether to pursue this direction for inclusion in the next annual report.

Training and Awareness

When discussing mental health reporting and clear and present danger reporting, Task Force members offered information on past, current, and future efforts to educate required reporters on statutory requirements and reporting processes.

DHS Division of Mental Health Training

The Illinois Department of Human Service Division of Mental Health houses the FOID Mental Health Reporting Team (MHR Team). The MHR Team manages mental health reporting by behavioral health professionals, including oversight of the FOID Mental Health Reporting System. MHR Team representatives attended several Task Force meetings and described their training and awareness efforts. They noted that they have progressively expanded both sets of efforts over time. This expansion has been made possible by increasing the number of staff members on the team.

The MHR Team has provided training to individual behavioral health providers since 2019. Originally, the team met with providers upon initial registration to enter information in the FOID Mental Health Reporting System and walked them through the statutory requirements and the system. This evolved into the development of formalized training, reference materials, and, accordingly, formal training sessions. The team also offered individualized technical assistance and problem solving.

As the team expanded, members began conducting quarterly training events for private practice clinicians (clinical psychologists and qualified examiners), with outreach managed by a private practice group that has connections to the target audience. Even more recently (December 11, 2024), the MHR Team hosted a statewide training that targeted clinicians in community mental health centers and state hospitals. Over 300 persons attended the training. The team plans to conduct more statewide trainings after refining their training materials to accommodate feedback from participants at the first statewide training.

ISP Clear and Present Danger Reporting Training

The Illinois State Police Office of Firearm Safety (OFS) provides trainings on clear and present danger reporting to law enforcement agencies and school administrators. Since 2022, OFS staff have offered trainings on request, making themselves widely available upon contact. They have expanded awareness of training opportunities through fliers and emails. OFS staff stated that they conduct approximately 1.6 trainings per month.

Law enforcement agencies and school administrators submit clear and present danger reports through the Law Enforcement Portal. Launched in 2013, the Law Enforcement Portal was initially designed as a mechanism for law enforcement agencies to submit objections to firearm concealed carry applications pursuant to the Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act (430 ILCS 66/) but has since been expanded. In 2023, the Illinois State Police launched a clear and present danger reporting module within the Law Enforcement Portal. The new module was made available to both law enforcement agencies and school administrators. As of late May 2025, 799 law enforcement agencies and 962 school administrators have registered to enter clear and present danger reports in the Law Enforcement Portal.

Court Disposition Reporting

Six of the firearm prohibitors listed in “Background” pertain to the applicant’s criminal history, barring the applicant from obtaining a FOID card under any of the following conditions (430 ILCS 65/8):

  • They are under 21 years of age and have been convicted of a misdemeanor or adjudged delinquent, other than for a traffic offense
  • They have been convicted of a felony under Illinois law or any other jurisdiction
  • They have been convicted within the past five years of battery, assault, aggravated assault, violation of an order of protection, or a similar offense in another jurisdiction in which a firearm was used or possessed
  • They have been convicted of domestic battery, aggravated domestic battery, or a similar offense in another jurisdiction
  • They are a minor that has been subject to a petition alleging they are a delinquent minor for the commission of an offense that, if committed by an adult, would be a felony
  • They are an adult who has been adjudicated a delinquent minor under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 for the commission of an offense that if committed by an adult would be a felony

The Illinois State Police reviews the criminal history of each FOID applicant, assessing whether the applicant is prohibited from obtaining a FOID card based on a pending felony arrest (indictment or information), an adjudication of delinquency for an offense that if committed by an adult would be a felony, or a prior conviction. To do so, the Illinois State Police relies on criminal history information obtained pursuant to the Illinois Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/).

The Criminal Identification Act requires justice system agencies to report arrest, charge, and disposition information to the Illinois State Police within 30 days of the criminal history event:

“For the purpose of maintaining complete and accurate criminal records of the Illinois State Police, it is necessary for all policing bodies of this State, the clerk of the circuit court, the Illinois Department of Corrections, the sheriff of each county, and State’s Attorney of each county to submit certain criminal arrest, charge, and disposition information to the Illinois State Police for filing at the earliest time possible. Unless otherwise noted herein, it shall be the duty of all policing bodies of this State, the clerk of the circuit court, the Illinois Department of Corrections, the sheriff of each county, and the State’s Attorney of each county to report such information as provided in this Section, both in the form and manner required by the Illinois State Police and within 30 days of the criminal history event” (20 ILCS 2630/2.1).

There is a temporal aspect to these reporting requirements, based on steps in the justice system process. Circuit court clerks, the Illinois Department of Corrections, county sheriffs, and State’s Attorneys each fulfill their reporting obligations by adding information to arrest records that have previously been submitted by law enforcement agencies. First, law enforcement agencies report arrest information by submitting fingerprints and demographic data to the Illinois State Police. This is usually done through a LiveScan (electronic fingerprinting) machine. Once posted, every criminal history record is displayed on an individual’s record of arrest and prosecution (RAP sheet) by linking arrest records to fingerprints. Following submission of an arrest, additional information is added to the record. For example, charge information is provided by State’s Attorney’s Offices and court disposition information is supplied by Circuit Court Clerks’ Offices.

Thus, Criminal Identification Act implementation requires interconnectedness. Multiple agencies identify the same record and submit their respective information based on their roles in the justice system process, starting with submission of an arrest record.

The Illinois State Police has developed two electronic reporting systems that receive information from various types of reporters (law enforcement agencies, State’s Attorney’s offices, circuit court clerks, Illinois Department of Corrections, sheriff’s offices) that interface with ISP using their own unique systems. These Illinois State Police systems are utilized statewide. Individual agencies submit information from their respective systems, then the Illinois State Police matches the information to individual cases. Currently, no unified statewide reporting system exists that encompasses all components of Criminal Identification Act reporting across justice system sectors.

Adding complexity, each Illinois jurisdiction that contributes records to the Illinois State Police relies on its own unique record management system(s). Local records, created through local systems, are used to provide records through Illinois State Police electronic reporting systems. Because local systems differ, a specific reporting issue may affect some jurisdictions but not others. Thus, statewide issue resolution can become complex as there may be multiple underlying reasons for an issue.

Task Force Discussion and Feedback

The Task Force discussed Criminal Identification Act record collection. Discussion focused on court disposition reporting by Illinois circuit court clerk offices. Because the six criminal history firearm prohibitors require knowledge of case disposition (i.e., whether the individual was convicted), missing disposition information has an adverse impact on comprehensive FOID decision-making.

The Task Force identified missing disposition information as a longstanding concern. For example, information included in the Task Force’s 2022 grant application to the National Criminal History Improvement Program (as described in the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force 2023 Report) indicated that from 2012-2021, 28.5% of felony arrests submitted to the Illinois State Police were missing corresponding disposition records. The Task Force described past and current efforts to remedy this issue but acknowledged that the issue remains.

Members identified an issue related to the process of submitting records that contributes to missing dispositions. The issue stems from the requirement that arrest records submitted to ISP pursuant to the Criminal Identification Act must include a DCN (Document Control Number). The DCN is a unique number on the fingerprint card and represents the arrest event. Each arrest event will have a distinct DCN. Inclusion of the DCN in disposition submission ensures that the record is accurately identified across steps in the Criminal Identification Act process.

However, Task Force members noted that there are instances when a person is not fingerprinted after they are arrested. For example, when a person is arrested but not booked in a county jail, instead receiving a notice to appear in court for a criminal hearing, they are sometimes not fingerprinted. Thus, no DCN is generated. This contributes to missing or incomplete arrest records, including missing disposition information. Several Task Force members proposed that this issue warrants further consideration:

When persons are arrested but not fingerprinted, it impacts the quality of criminal history record information collected pursuant to the Criminal Identification Act. This impacts the quality of firearm prohibitor information on criminal convictions. The Task Force should consider this issue in more detail.

Two additional and related large-scale remedies addressed missing DCN as well as other reporting gaps and issues. One focused on how different types of reporters submit records to the Illinois State Police through different systems, suggesting the following:

A unified statewide process for submission of Criminal Identification Act records would remedy numerous issues that currently impact data quality.

Task Force members noted that a unified system for submission would help develop statewide reporting standards and would ensure that information pertaining to the same case is connected. Task Force members acknowledged that this suggestion, while offering an ideal solution, would involve financial resources to support technological development.

The final Task Force suggestion addressed the Criminal Identification Act records that exist within the previously mentioned local, county-level systems. It stated the following:

Illinois counties that unify their record management systems such that records can be joined across justice system sectors are better equipped to manage Criminal Identification Act reporting.

In the current process, reporting agencies extract records from their record management systems, structure the records in the manner specified by the Illinois State Police, and then submit records using the tools made available by the Illinois State Police. Multiple Task Force members noted that jurisdictions with unified local systems are better equipped to provide the Illinois State Police with complete records.

However, individual Illinois jurisdictions vary considerably in numerous dimensions, including residential population and available resources. Partially as a result of these differences, some jurisdictions have unified systems while others have varying degrees of separation across reporting sectors (in particular between law enforcement record management systems and court record management systems).

Finally, on a related note, the Task Force member representing the Illinois State Police noted that the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts hosts an Automated Disposition Reporting System. Although separate from the two electronic reporting systems hosted by the Illinois State Police, the Task Force member noted utilization of the system greatly improves reporting and helps ensure data standardization and quality.

Additional Topics

Asynchronous Web-Based Training

In addition to discussing whether mental health training and awareness efforts should be expanded to include behavioral health providers in alternate work settings, the Task Force discussed alternate training modalities. This discussion was not specific to mental health reporting and instead encompassed all firearm prohibitor reporting, resulting in the following suggestion:

There is likely to be turnover within organizations that employ firearm prohibitor reporters. This may create knowledge gaps, leaving new employees untrained. These knowledge gaps may be addressed more rapidly through a recorded web-based training available to new reporters to view on their own schedules, as opposed to waiting for instructor-led training.

This suggestion received moderate Task Force support. Task Force members representing the Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Human Services stated that support for the suggestion should be predicated on demand (i.e., whether the training audience believes that recorded trainings would be helpful). In State Fiscal Year 2026, the Task Force will determine whether to pursue this direction for inclusion in the next annual report.

Firearm Restraining Orders

Multiple Task Force members mentioned the relevance of Illinois’ Firearm Restraining Order Act (430 ILCS 67/) to the collection of firearm prohibitor records in the FOID Act. The Firearm Restraining Order Act enables family members and law enforcement officers to petition a court to prohibit an individual from possessing a firearm.

The Firearm Restraining Order Act includes requirements that correspond in several ways with the FOID Act. First, the legal determination for issuing a firearm restraining order is similar to the clear and present danger assessment. Specifically, the Act distinguishes between emergency firearm restraining orders and plenary restraining orders, with issuance of both predicated on evidence that the individual poses a danger of causing injury to themselves or others (430 ILCS 67/35(a); 430 ILCS 67/40(a)). Second, like the firearm prohibitors listed in the FOID Act, individuals subject to a firearm restraining order are prohibited from possessing a FOID card; and when firearm restraining order petitions are successful, individuals subject to an order have their FOID cards revoked (430 ILCS 67/35(g)(2); 430 ILCS 67/40(h)(2)). Third, like firearm prohibitors, law enforcement agencies (specifically, sheriff’s offices) must submit copies of firearm restraining orders to the Illinois State Police (430 ILCS 67/55(a)), who must maintain a record of all firearms submitted under the Act (430 ILCS 67/55(b). Given these analogous requirements between the two Acts, the Illinois State Police uses firearm restraining order data when assessing firearm prohibitors for a FOID card application.

Multiple Task Force members commented on the utility of firearm restraining orders for achieving the same goals as the FOID Act. One reason they cited for supporting firearm restraining orders is that, unlike the FOID Act assessment of firearm prohibitors, the firearm restraining order process involves judicial review. Thus, it offers additional transparency and safeguards.

There was general agreement among Task Force members that they should discuss the implementation of the Firearm Restraining Order Act during State Fiscal Year 2026. The Task Force acknowledged that implementation had been under consideration by another deliberating body, the Commission on Implementing the Firearm Restraining Order Act (20 ILCS 2605/2605-51.1). The Commission was dissolved June 1, 2025. Prior to disbanding, the Commission developed, pursuant to a statutory requirement “a model policy with an overall framework for the timely relinquishment of firearms whenever a firearms restraining order is issued” (20 ILCS 2605/2605 51.1(e)). The model policy includes procedures for executing a firearm restraining order that span the entire process and, as such, provides a framework for the Task Force to discuss implementation.

Karina’s Law

Recently, House Bill 4144, known as Karina’s Law, modified the Code of Criminal Procedures of 1963 by describing procedures for firearm seizures pursuant to domestic violence orders of protection (e.g., 725 ILCS 5/112A-14)(b)(14.5)(B)). Order of protection respondents may not possess a firearm. To ensure compliance with this firearm prohibition, Karina’s Law defines the responsibilities of law enforcement officers, State’s Attorneys, and courts for effecting searches and seizures. When persons who have been convicted of violating an order of protection use or possess a firearm, they are barred from obtaining a FOID card. More precisely, based on the following firearm prohibitor, persons may not obtain a FOID card if (emphasis added) “they have been convicted within the past five years of battery, assault, aggravated assault, violation of an order of protection, or a similar offense in another jurisdiction in which a firearm was used or possessed” (430 ILCS 65/8(k)).

Multiple Task Force members stated that the Task Force should consider reviewing Karina’s Law implementation. These members noted that the firearm search and seizure processes described in Karina’s Law are inherently complex, and, therefore, it would be prudent to consider progress and challenges. Moreover, the Task Force member representing the Illinois State Police noted that Karina’s Law implementation provides law enforcement with an additional tool for obtaining search warrants, removing firearms from prohibited persons, and ensuring FOID cards are appropriately revoked or denied.

More generally, Karina’s Law implementation impacts the completeness of FOID Act firearm prohibitor data. Order of protection respondents who, upon execution of a search warrant, possess a firearm are in violation of their order. Should these persons be convicted, they will be barred from obtaining a FOID card.

Conclusion

In State Fiscal Year 2025, the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force focused on FOID Act firearm prohibitors pertaining to mental health reporting, clear and present danger reporting, and court disposition reporting. The Task Force revisited reporting processes and described efforts to make statutorily mandated reporters aware of their responsibilities and current reporting mechanisms. Task Force members made recommendations and highlighted areas for improvement. Each are preliminary and require further Task Force discussion. The recommendations and highlighted areas are as follows:

  • The Task Force has spent considerable time discussing training and awareness efforts targeting required mental health reporters in private facilities. The Task Force should consider whether training and awareness efforts targeting behavioral health providers in alternate work settings are necessary.
  • When persons are arrested but not fingerprinted, it impacts the quality of criminal history record information collected pursuant to the Criminal Identification Act. This impacts the quality of firearm prohibitor information on criminal convictions. The Task Force should consider this issue in more detail.
  • A unified statewide process for submission of Criminal Identification Act records would remedy numerous issues that currently impact data quality.
  • Illinois counties that unify their record management systems such that records can be joined across justice system sectors are better equipped to manage Criminal Identification Act reporting.
  • There is likely to be turnover within organizations that employ firearm prohibitor reporters. This may create knowledge gaps, leaving new employees untrained. These knowledge gaps may be addressed more rapidly through a recorded web-based training available to new reporters to view on their own schedules, as opposed to waiting for instructor-led training.

Finally, Task Force members noted the relevance of Illinois’ Firearm Restraining Order Act and Karina’s Law for Task Force responsibilities and suggested that the Task Force assess the implementation of these statutes in the coming year. In State Fiscal Year 2026, the Task Force will continue to consider these topics and assess other priorities for inclusion in the next annual report.

Firearm Prohibitors And Records Improvement Task Force Members include:

Executive Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, who shall serve as Chair:

Delrice Adams, Executive Director

Director of the Illinois State Police, or his or her designee:

Colonel Christopher Campbell, Deputy Director, Division of Justice Services

Secretary of Human Services, or his or her designee:

Sharon Coleman, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Forensic & Justice Services

Director of Corrections, or his or her designee:

Sharon Shipinski, Ph.D., Manager, Planning & Research

Zachary Sarver, Special Operations Coordinator

Attorney General, or his or her designee:

John Carroll, Deputy Chief of Staff (Task Force member eff. April 2025)

Caitlyn McEllis, Senior Policy Counsel

Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, or his or her designee:

Stephany Ortiz, Courts, Children and Family Division

A representative of an association representing circuit clerks appointed by the President of the Senate:

Vacant

A representative of an association representing sheriffs appointed by the House Minority Leader:

Jim Kaitschuk, Executive Director, Illinois Sheriff’s Association

A representative of an association representing State’s Attorneys appointed by the House Minority Leader:

Robert Berlin, DuPage County State’s Attorney, Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association

A representative of an association representing chiefs of police appointed by the Senate Minority Leader:

Vacant

A representative of an association representing hospitals appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Lia Daniels, Director, Health Policy, Illinois Health and Hospital Association

A representative of an association representing counties appointed by the President of the Senate:

Vacant

A representative of an association representing municipalities appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Mayor Reggie Freeman, Illinois Municipal League

Appendix A

Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force Legislation

(20 ILCS 3930/7.9) (Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2027)

Sec. 7.9. Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force.

(a) As used in this Section, “firearms prohibitor” means any factor listed in Section 4 of the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act or Section 24-3 or 24-3.1 of the Criminal Code of 2012 that prohibits a person from transferring or possessing a firearm, firearm ammunition, Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, or concealed carry license.

(b) The Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force is created to identify and research all available grants, resources, and revenue that may be applied for and used by all entities responsible for reporting federal and State firearm prohibitors to the Illinois State Police and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Under the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act, these reporting entities include, but are not limited to, hospitals, courts, law enforcement and corrections. The Task Force shall identify weaknesses in reporting and recommend a strategy to direct resources and revenue to ensuring reporting is reliable, accurate, and timely. The Task Force shall inventory all statutorily mandated firearm and gun violence related data collection and reporting requirements, along with the agency responsible for collecting that data, and identify gaps in those requirements. The Task Force shall submit a coordinated application with and through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for federal funds from the National Criminal History Improvement Program and the NICS Acts Record Improvement Program. The Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force shall be comprised of the following members, all of whom shall serve without compensation:

(1) the Executive Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, who shall serve as Chair;

(2) the Director of the Illinois State Police, or his or her designee;

(3) the Secretary of Human Services, or his or her designee;

(4) the Director of Corrections, or his or her designee;

(5) the Attorney General, or his or her designee;

(6) the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, or his or her designee;

(7) a representative of an association representing circuit clerks appointed by the President of the Senate;

(8) a representative of an association representing sheriffs appointed by the House Minority Leader;

(9) a representative of an association representing State’s Attorneys appointed by the House Minority Leader;

(10) a representative of an association representing chiefs of police appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;

(11) a representative of an association representing hospitals appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(12) a representative of an association representing counties appointed by the President of the Senate; and

(13) a representative of an association representing municipalities appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

© The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force. The Illinois State Police Division of Justice Services shall also provide support to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Task Force.

(d) The Task Force may meet in person or virtually and shall issue a written report of its findings and recommendations to General Assembly on or before July 1, 2022. The Task Force shall issue an annual report, which shall include information on the state of FOID data, including a review of previous activity by the Task Force to close previously identified gaps; identifying known (or new) gaps; a proposal of policy and practice recommendations to close those gaps; and a preview of expected activities of the Task Force for the coming year.

(e) Within 60 days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, the Chair shall establish the Task Force.

(f) This Section is repealed on July 1, 2027.

(Source: P.A. 102-237, eff. 1-1-22.)