Illinois already layers FOID cards, universal checks, and a 72-hour wait onto every lawful gun sale. That is the statute. Sadly, there are some shops then invent extra obstacles to exercising the 2A and treat them as gospel.
The wait is 72 hours from the moment buyer and seller agree to the purchase—not “business days,” not “after we call it in,” and not a clock that pauses for Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday. Stretching it is a house rule, not the law.
The Illinois State Police say a FOID eCard may be used to buy firearms and ammunition. A dealer may refuse the image. That is their choice. It is also a reason to walk out. Same for ranges that bar under-21 shooters who are otherwise eligible. Some demand a physical card before anyone steps onto the line. Statute already provides a range-supervision exception. Inventing a stricter one is not compliance; it is policy.
Then there are the chains and some local gun shops. Walmart, Bass Pro—here’s looking at you, specifically—that run an online FOID check on every box of ammo even when the card in your hand still has a printed expiration date and is valid on its face. Illinois State Police told dealers they do not have to do that for those cards. Logging every ammo sale into a state portal is not required by statute. It is a corporate policy that hands Springfield a shopping list it is not entitled to. It is none of ISP’s damn business that you bought ammunition.
Worst are the countertop lawyers who announce that no one under 18—or 21—may possess a firearm even unloaded and cased. That is not what the code says. Minors and young adults can possess and transport under defined conditions, including parental FOID sponsorship and proper casing. Misstating the law to paying customers is not caution. It is arrogance.
Guns Save Life exists for a reason. Our mission is simple: we defend your right to defend yourself. That fight runs in two directions. One is against politicians and activists who would strip you of your firearms and of the right to use them when your life is on the line. The other is against people who claim to be on our side—and shops that fly the 2A flag—while making lawful ownership more burdensome than Springfield already made it. Extra waits, phantom age bans, picture-FOID refusals, and unnecessary ammo database hits do the other side’s work for them.
Stores that pile onerous extras onto an already punitive regime should not be argued with. They should be left empty. Take the time, the money, and the business to a shop that knows the difference between the statute and its own made-up rules. If you know these places, do not debate them. Vote with your feet—and stand with people who actually defend the right to defend yourself.