<P> Open carry of firearms is generally illegal, except when hunting, or in a fixed place of business with the owner's permission, or in one's abode . </P> <P> When a firearm is being transported it must be (a) unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container, or (b) broken down in a non-functioning state, or (c) not immediately accessible, or (d) carried or possessed in accordance with the Firearm Concealed Carry Act by a person with a valid concealed carry license . </P> <P> Illinois was the last state to pass a law to allow the concealed carry of firearms by citizens . The state's original handgun carry ban was enacted in 1949, with the ban's most recent revision being enacted in 1962 . The pre-existing law forbade concealed carry, and generally prohibited open carry, except in counties that had enacted ordinances allowing open carry . On December 11, 2012, a three - judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in the case of Moore v. Madigan, ruled that Illinois' concealed carry ban was unconstitutional, and gave the state 180 days to change its laws . Subsequently, the court granted a 30 - day extension of the deadline . On July 9, 2013, Illinois enacted the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, which established a system for the issuing of concealed carry licenses . On September 12, 2013, the Illinois Supreme Court, in the case of People v. Aguilar, also ruled that the state's Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon law, which completely prohibited concealed carry, was unconstitutional . On January 5, 2014, the state police began accepting applications for licenses to carry concealed handguns . On February 28, 2014, the state police announced that they had begun issuing concealed carry licenses . </P> <P> Article 1 section 22 of the Illinois Constitution states, "Subject only to the police power, the right of the individual citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed ." </P>

When did concealed carry become legal in illinois