State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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91_SB1574

 
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 1        AN ACT to amend the Criminal Code  of  1961  by  changing
 2    Section 24-1.

 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section 5.  The Criminal  Code  of  1961  is  amended  by
 6    changing Section 24-1 as follows:

 7        (720 ILCS 5/24-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 24-1)
 8        Sec. 24-1. Unlawful Use of Weapons.
 9        (a)  A  person  commits  the  offense  of unlawful use of
10    weapons when he knowingly:
11             (1)  Sells, manufactures,  purchases,  possesses  or
12        carries  any bludgeon, black-jack, slung-shot, sand-club,
13        sand-bag, metal knuckles, throwing star,  or  any  knife,
14        commonly  referred to as a switchblade knife, which has a
15        blade that opens automatically by hand  pressure  applied
16        to  a button, spring or other device in the handle of the
17        knife, or a ballistic  knife,  which  is  a  device  that
18        propels  a  knifelike blade as a projectile by means of a
19        coil spring, elastic material or compressed gas; or
20             (2)  Carries or possesses with  intent  to  use  the
21        same  unlawfully  against another, a dagger, dirk, billy,
22        dangerous knife, razor, stiletto, broken bottle or  other
23        piece  of glass, stun gun or taser or any other dangerous
24        or deadly weapon or instrument of like character; or
25             (3)  Carries on  or  about  his  person  or  in  any
26        vehicle,  a  tear gas gun projector or bomb or any object
27        containing noxious liquid gas or substance, other than an
28        object containing a  non-lethal  noxious  liquid  gas  or
29        substance designed solely for personal defense carried by
30        a person 18 years of age or older; or
31             (4)  Carries   or   possesses   in  any  vehicle  or
 
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 1        concealed on or about his person except when on his  land
 2        or  in  his  own  abode  or  fixed  place of business any
 3        pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or other firearm; or
 4             (5)  Sets a spring gun; or
 5             (6)  Possesses any device or attachment of any  kind
 6        designed,  used  or  intended  for  use  in silencing the
 7        report of any firearm; or
 8             (7)  Sells, manufactures,  purchases,  possesses  or
 9        carries:
10                  (i)  a  machine gun, which shall be defined for
11             the purposes of this subsection as any weapon, which
12             shoots, is designed to  shoot,  or  can  be  readily
13             restored  to shoot, automatically more than one shot
14             without manually reloading by a single  function  of
15             the  trigger, including the frame or receiver of any
16             such  weapon,  or  sells,  manufactures,  purchases,
17             possesses,  or  carries  any  combination  of  parts
18             designed or  intended  for  use  in  converting  any
19             weapon  into  a  machine  gun, or any combination or
20             parts from which a machine gun can be  assembled  if
21             such  parts  are  in  the  possession  or  under the
22             control of a person;
23                  (ii)  any rifle having one or more barrels less
24             than 16 inches in length or a shotgun having one  or
25             more  barrels  less  than 18 inches in length or any
26             weapon made from a  rifle  or  shotgun,  whether  by
27             alteration,  modification,  or  otherwise, if such a
28             weapon as modified has an  overall  length  of  less
29             than 26 inches; or
30                  (iii)  any bomb, bomb-shell, grenade, bottle or
31             other container containing an explosive substance of
32             over  one-quarter  ounce for like purposes, such as,
33             but not limited to, black powder bombs  and  Molotov
34             cocktails or artillery projectiles; or
 
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 1             (8)  Carries  or  possesses any firearm, stun gun or
 2        taser or other  deadly  weapon  in  any  place  which  is
 3        licensed to sell intoxicating beverages, or at any public
 4        gathering  held  pursuant  to  a  license  issued  by any
 5        governmental body or any public  gathering  at  which  an
 6        admission  is charged, excluding a place where a showing,
 7        demonstration or  lecture  involving  the  exhibition  of
 8        unloaded firearms is conducted; or
 9             (9)  Carries  or  possesses  in  a  vehicle or on or
10        about his person any pistol, revolver, stun gun or  taser
11        or  firearm  or ballistic knife, when he is hooded, robed
12        or masked in such manner as to conceal his identity; or
13             (10)  Carries or possesses on or about  his  person,
14        upon  any  public  street,  alley,  or other public lands
15        within  the  corporate  limits  of  a  city,  village  or
16        incorporated town, except  when  an  invitee  thereon  or
17        therein, for the purpose of the display of such weapon or
18        the  lawful  commerce  in  weapons, or except when on his
19        land or in his own abode or fixed place of business,  any
20        pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or other firearm.
21             A "stun gun or taser", as used in this paragraph (a)
22        means  (i)  any  device  which  is  powered by electrical
23        charging units, such as, batteries, and which  fires  one
24        or  several barbs attached to a length of wire and which,
25        upon hitting a human, can send out a current  capable  of
26        disrupting  the  person's nervous system in such a manner
27        as to render him incapable of normal functioning or  (ii)
28        any device which is powered by electrical charging units,
29        such  as  batteries, and which, upon contact with a human
30        or clothing worn by a human, can send out current capable
31        of disrupting the  person's  nervous  system  in  such  a
32        manner  as to render him incapable of normal functioning;
33        or
34             (11)  Sells, manufactures or purchases any explosive
 
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 1        bullet.  For purposes of this  paragraph  (a)  "explosive
 2        bullet"  means  the  projectile  portion of an ammunition
 3        cartridge which contains or carries an  explosive  charge
 4        which will explode upon contact with the flesh of a human
 5        or  an  animal.    "Cartridge" means a tubular metal case
 6        having a projectile affixed at the front  thereof  and  a
 7        cap   or  primer  at  the  rear  end  thereof,  with  the
 8        propellant contained in such tube between the  projectile
 9        and the cap; or
10             (12)  (Blank).
11        (b)  Sentence.  A  person  convicted  of  a  violation of
12    subsection 24-1(a)(1)  through  (3),  subsection  24-1(a)(5),
13    subsection  24-1(a)(8),  or  subsection 24-1(a)(11) commits a
14    Class A misdemeanor.  A person convicted of  a  violation  of
15    subsection  24-1(a)(4),  24-1(a)(9), or 24-1(a)(10) commits a
16    Class  4  felony;  a  person  convicted  of  a  violation  of
17    subsection 24-1(a)(6) or 24-1(a)(7)(ii) or  (iii)  commits  a
18    Class  3  felony.   A  person  convicted  of  a  violation of
19    subsection 24-1(a)(7)(i) commits a Class 2 felony, unless the
20    weapon is possessed in the passenger compartment of  a  motor
21    vehicle  as  defined in Section 1-146 of the Illinois Vehicle
22    Code, or on the person, while the weapon is loaded, in  which
23    case  it shall be a Class X felony.   A person convicted of a
24    second or  subsequent  violation  of  subsection  24-1(a)(4),
25    24-1(a)(9), or 24-1(a)(10) commits a Class 3 felony.
26        (c)  Violations in specific places.
27             (1)  A  person who violates subsection 24-1(a)(6) or
28        24-1(a)(7) in any school, regardless of the time  of  day
29        or  the  time  of  year,  in  residential property owned,
30        operated or managed by a public housing agency or  leased
31        by a public housing agency as part of a scattered site or
32        mixed-income   development,   in  a  public  park,  in  a
33        courthouse, on the real property comprising  any  school,
34        regardless  of  the  time  of day or the time of year, on
 
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 1        residential  property owned, operated  or  managed  by  a
 2        public  housing  agency  or  leased  by  a public housing
 3        agency as  part  of  a  scattered  site  or  mixed-income
 4        development,  on  the real property comprising any public
 5        park, on the real property comprising any courthouse,  in
 6        any conveyance owned, leased or contracted by a school to
 7        transport  students to or from school or a school related
 8        activity, or on any public way within 1,000 feet  of  the
 9        real   property   comprising  any  school,  public  park,
10        courthouse, or residential property owned,  operated,  or
11        managed  by a public housing agency or leased by a public
12        housing  agency  as  part  of   a   scattered   site   or
13        mixed-income development commits a Class 2 felony.
14             (1.5)  A  person who violates subsection 24-1(a)(4),
15        24-1(a)(9), or 24-1(a)(10) in any school,  regardless  of
16        the  time  of  day  or  the  time of year, in residential
17        property owned, operated, or  managed by a public housing
18        agency or leased by a public housing agency as part of  a
19        scattered  site  or mixed-income development, in a public
20        park, in a courthouse, on the  real  property  comprising
21        any  school, regardless of the time of day or the time of
22        year, on residential property owned, operated, or managed
23        by a public housing agency or leased by a public  housing
24        agency  as  part  of  a  scattered  site  or mixed-income
25        development, on the real property comprising  any  public
26        park,  on the real property comprising any courthouse, in
27        any conveyance owned, leased, or contracted by  a  school
28        to  transport  students  to  or  from  school or a school
29        related activity, or on any public way within 1,000  feet
30        of  the real property comprising any school, public park,
31        courthouse, or residential property owned,  operated,  or
32        managed  by a public housing agency or leased by a public
33        housing  agency  as  part  of   a   scattered   site   or
34        mixed-income development commits a Class 3 felony.
 
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 1             (2)  A  person  who  violates subsection 24-1(a)(1),
 2        24-1(a)(2), or 24-1(a)(3) in any  school,  regardless  of
 3        the  time  of  day  or  the  time of year, in residential
 4        property owned, operated or managed by a  public  housing
 5        agency  or leased by a public housing agency as part of a
 6        scattered site or mixed-income development, in  a  public
 7        park,  in  a  courthouse, on the real property comprising
 8        any school, regardless of the time of day or the time  of
 9        year,  on residential property owned, operated or managed
10        by a public housing agency or leased by a public  housing
11        agency  as  part  of  a  scattered  site  or mixed-income
12        development, on the real property comprising  any  public
13        park,  on the real property comprising any courthouse, in
14        any conveyance owned, leased or contracted by a school to
15        transport students to or from school or a school  related
16        activity,  or  on any public way within 1,000 feet of the
17        real  property  comprising  any  school,   public   park,
18        courthouse,  or  residential property owned, operated, or
19        managed by a public housing agency or leased by a  public
20        housing   agency   as   part   of  a  scattered  site  or
21        mixed-income  development  commits  a  Class  4   felony.
22        "Courthouse"  means  any  building  that  is  used by the
23        Circuit, Appellate, or Supreme Court of  this  State  for
24        the conduct of official business.
25             (3)  Paragraphs   (1),   (1.5),   and  (2)  of  this
26        subsection  (c)  shall  not  apply  to  law   enforcement
27        officers or security officers of such school, college, or
28        university or to students carrying or possessing firearms
29        for  use  in  training  courses, parades, hunting, target
30        shooting on school ranges, or otherwise with the  consent
31        of  school authorities and which firearms are transported
32        unloaded  enclosed  in   a   suitable   case,   box,   or
33        transportation package.
34             (4)  For   the  purposes  of  this  subsection  (c),
 
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 1        "school"  means  any  public  or  private  elementary  or
 2        secondary  school,   community   college,   college,   or
 3        university.
 4        (d)  The  presence  in  an automobile other than a public
 5    omnibus of any weapon, instrument or substance referred to in
 6    subsection (a)(7) is prima facie evidence that it is  in  the
 7    possession of, and is being carried by, all persons occupying
 8    such  automobile  at  the  time  such  weapon,  instrument or
 9    substance is found, except under the following circumstances:
10    (i) if such weapon, instrument or  instrumentality  is  found
11    upon  the  person of one of the occupants therein; or (ii) if
12    such  weapon,  instrument  or  substance  is  found   in   an
13    automobile operated for hire by a duly licensed driver in the
14    due,  lawful  and  proper  pursuit  of  his  trade, then such
15    presumption shall not apply to the driver.
16        (e)  Exemptions.  Crossbows, Common or Compound bows  and
17    Underwater  Spearguns  are  exempted  from  the definition of
18    ballistic knife as defined in paragraph (1) of subsection (a)
19    of this Section.
20        (f)  Any  arrest  and  prosecution  for  a  violation  of
21    subsection 24-1(a)(4) or 24-1(a)(10) must be race neutral and
22    every arrest and conviction for  a  violation  of  subsection
23    24-1(a)(4)  or  24-1(a)(10) shall be reviewed annually by the
24    Attorney General to ensure that  arrests,  prosecutions,  and
25    convictions  for  violations  of  subsections  24-1(a)(4) and
26    24-1(a)(10) are race neutral.
27    (Source: P.A. 90-686, eff. 1-1-99; 91-673, eff. 12-22-99.)

28        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
29    becoming law.

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