SPRINGFIELD – Since the Illinois State Police (ISP) began conducting inspections of Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealers, the number of guns stolen from dealers has decreased. In 2024, the number of firearms stolen from FFL dealers in Illinois dropped almost 80% compared to 2023, and 92% compared to 2022.
“Five years ago, I signed a bipartisan law to combat illegal gun trafficking—and the data ISP released today demonstrates that state oversight works,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Too many Illinoisans know the pain of gun violence and the added security measures enforced by ISP are ensuring that guns don’t fall into the wrong hands.”
“Stemming the flow of stolen guns used in crime is one way we are fighting gun violence,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Inspections, which ensure firearm dealers have security measures in place, reduces the number of guns stolen often later used to commit violence, and this effort appears to be producing good results.”
To help address the problem of illegal firearms, the General Assembly passed the Firearm Dealer License Certification Act (430 ILCS 68), which went into effect January 18, 2019. Under the Act, each certified FFL dealer was required to have a video security system by January 2, 2021. To help ensure dealers complied, ISP began conducting site visits in 2021, and inspections in 2022. Since the implementation of the Act, but specifically since ISP inspections began looking at security measures, the number of firearms stolen from dealers has dropped.
Today’s announcement arrives a week after ISP released the 2024 interstate shooting data showcasing a 31% decrease in shootings, compared to 2023. ISP’s continued dedication of resources and enforcement actions are effectively reducing the illegal possession of firearms and potentially related gun violence, keeping roads and communities safer statewide.
1 ATF data - https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics. Burglary, Larceny, Robbery
2 Preliminary data not finalized.