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| 1 | AN ACT concerning criminal law. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly: | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Section 5. The Criminal Code of 2012 is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | changing Section 24-8 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | (720 ILCS 5/24-8) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Sec. 24-8. Firearm evidence. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | (a) Upon seizing or taking into custody a firearm that was | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | (i) unlawfully possessed, (ii) used for any unlawful purpose, | |||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | (iii) recovered from the scene of a crime, or (iv) reasonably | |||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | believed to have been used or associated with the commission | |||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | of a crime, or when a firearm is acquired by the law | |||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | enforcement agency as an abandoned, lost, or discarded | |||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | firearm, a law enforcement agency shall use the best available | |||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | information, including a firearms trace, to determine how and | |||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | from whom the person gained possession of the firearm and to | |||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | determine prior ownership of the firearm. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | (b) Law enforcement shall use the National Tracing Center | |||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and | |||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Explosives and the National Crime Information Center of the | |||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Federal Bureau of Investigation in complying with subsection | |||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | (a) of this Section. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | (b-5) Law enforcement shall use the National Tracing | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | Center of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and | ||||||
| 2 | Explosives' eTrace platform or successor platform in complying | ||||||
| 3 | with subsection (a). Law enforcement shall participate in the | ||||||
| 4 | National Tracing Center of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, | ||||||
| 5 | Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' eTrace platform or successor | ||||||
| 6 | platform's collective data sharing program for the purpose of | ||||||
| 7 | sharing firearm trace reports among all law enforcement | ||||||
| 8 | agencies in this State on a reciprocal basis. | ||||||
| 9 | (c) Law enforcement agencies shall use the Illinois State | ||||||
| 10 | Police Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS) Gun File | ||||||
| 11 | to enter all stolen, seized, or recovered firearms as | ||||||
| 12 | prescribed by LEADS regulations and policies. | ||||||
| 13 | (d) Whenever a law enforcement agency recovers a fired | ||||||
| 14 | cartridge case at a crime scene or has reason to believe that | ||||||
| 15 | the recovered fired cartridge case is related to or associated | ||||||
| 16 | with the commission of a crime, the law enforcement agency | ||||||
| 17 | shall submit the evidence to the National Integrated | ||||||
| 18 | Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) or an Illinois State | ||||||
| 19 | Police laboratory for NIBIN processing. Whenever a law | ||||||
| 20 | enforcement agency seizes or recovers a semiautomatic firearm | ||||||
| 21 | that is deemed suitable to be entered into the NIBIN that was: | ||||||
| 22 | (i) unlawfully possessed, (ii) used for any unlawful purpose, | ||||||
| 23 | (iii) recovered from the scene of a crime, (iv) is reasonably | ||||||
| 24 | believed to have been used or associated with the commission | ||||||
| 25 | of a crime, or (v) is acquired by the law enforcement agency as | ||||||
| 26 | an abandoned or discarded firearm, the law enforcement agency | ||||||
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| 1 | shall submit the evidence to the NIBIN or an Illinois State | ||||||
| 2 | Police laboratory for NIBIN processing. When practicable, all | ||||||
| 3 | NIBIN-suitable evidence and NIBIN-suitable test fires from | ||||||
| 4 | recovered firearms shall be entered into the NIBIN within 2 | ||||||
| 5 | business days of submission to Illinois State Police | ||||||
| 6 | laboratories that have NIBIN access or another NIBIN site. | ||||||
| 7 | Exceptions to this may occur if the evidence in question | ||||||
| 8 | requires analysis by other forensic disciplines. The Illinois | ||||||
| 9 | State Police laboratory, submitting agency, and relevant court | ||||||
| 10 | representatives shall determine whether the request for | ||||||
| 11 | additional analysis outweighs the 2 business-day requirement. | ||||||
| 12 | Illinois State Police laboratories that do not have NIBIN | ||||||
| 13 | access shall submit NIBIN-suitable evidence and test fires to | ||||||
| 14 | an Illinois State Police laboratory with NIBIN access. Upon | ||||||
| 15 | receipt at the laboratory with NIBIN access, when practicable, | ||||||
| 16 | the evidence and test fires shall be entered into the NIBIN | ||||||
| 17 | within 2 business days. Exceptions to this 2 business-day | ||||||
| 18 | requirement may occur if the evidence in question requires | ||||||
| 19 | analysis by other forensic disciplines. The Illinois State | ||||||
| 20 | Police laboratory, submitting agency, and relevant court | ||||||
| 21 | representatives shall determine whether the request for | ||||||
| 22 | additional analysis outweighs the 2 business-day requirement. | ||||||
| 23 | Nothing in this Section shall be interpreted to conflict with | ||||||
| 24 | standards and policies for NIBIN sites as promulgated by the | ||||||
| 25 | federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives or | ||||||
| 26 | successor agencies. | ||||||
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| 1 | (e) The Illinois State Police shall enter into an | ||||||
| 2 | agreement for a grant program for ballistics detection and | ||||||
| 3 | imaging through a partnership with the Illinois Association of | ||||||
| 4 | Chiefs of Police. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police | ||||||
| 5 | shall, subject to appropriation, make grants available for | ||||||
| 6 | State and local police agencies for the purchase, expansion, | ||||||
| 7 | and maintenance of equipment services that support the | ||||||
| 8 | National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) and | ||||||
| 9 | other ballistic technology equipment for ballistic imaging. | ||||||
| 10 | Grantees may receive payment by advance payment, | ||||||
| 11 | reimbursement, or working capital advance, subject to the | ||||||
| 12 | approval of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and | ||||||
| 13 | using Grant Accountability and Transparency Act standards. The | ||||||
| 14 | Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police's allowable costs | ||||||
| 15 | include managing, tracking, documenting, reporting, and | ||||||
| 16 | processing grant funds. | ||||||
| 17 | (Source: P.A. 104-30, eff. 7-28-25.) | ||||||