You can put a laser sight on your gun almost anywhere in Illinois. No state statute bans owning, buying, or attaching one to a lawfully possessed firearm. Chicago is the exception: the city’s municipal code treats laser sight accessories as contraband. And statewide, pointing a firearm-mounted laser at another person is a felony, no matter where you are.
Illinois State Law Does Not Prohibit Laser Sights
The Illinois Criminal Code defines a “laser sight” as a laser pointer that can be attached to a firearm to improve accuracy, but that definition sits in Article 24.6 alongside laser pointer rules rather than inside any prohibition.1Justia. Illinois Code Chapter 720 Criminal Offenses – Article 24.6 Laser Pointers The unlawful-use-of-weapons statute, 720 ILCS 5/24-1, lists many prohibited items and attachments and does not mention laser sights.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/24-1
The Protect Illinois Communities Act, which restricts assault weapons and certain attachments, explicitly excludes laser sighting devices from the definition of “assault weapon attachment.”3Illinois State Police. Protect Illinois Communities Act, Regulation on Assault Weapons So if you hold a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card and your firearm is otherwise legal, mounting a laser sight does not trigger any new permit or licensing step. The same is true under the Concealed Carry Act, which does not restrict laser sights on a concealed handgun.
Chicago Bans Laser Sight Accessories Outright
Under Chicago Municipal Code Section 8-20-060, it is illegal to carry, possess, display for sale, sell, or transfer a laser sight accessory inside city limits. The ordinance groups laser sights with silencers and makes them subject to seizure and forfeiture.4American Legal Publishing. Chicago Municipal Code 8-20-060 – Possession of a Laser Sight Accessory, Firearm Silencer or Muffler A federal court upheld the ban in 2024, ruling that a laser sight is an accessory rather than a constitutionally protected arm.
The penalty reaches beyond the device itself. If police find a laser sight accessory in a vehicle anywhere in Chicago, the car is subject to impoundment and the registered owner faces a $2,000 administrative penalty on top of towing and storage fees.5American Legal Publishing. Chicago Municipal Code 8-20-070 – Unlawful Firearm, Laser Sight Accessory, or Firearm Silencer or Muffler in a Motor Vehicle – Impoundment The owner of record is on the hook regardless of who put the device in the vehicle.
The only people exempt are peace officers and members of the U.S. military, National Guard, or organized state militia who are authorized to possess laser sights and are acting within the scope of their duties.4American Legal Publishing. Chicago Municipal Code 8-20-060 – Possession of a Laser Sight Accessory, Firearm Silencer or Muffler Firearms instructors and range operators are not exempt.
Pointing the Beam at a Person Is a Felony
The single most important use rule applies everywhere in the state. Under 720 ILCS 5/12-2, a person commits aggravated assault by knowingly shining or flashing a laser gun sight, or a laser device attached to a firearm, so that the beam strikes near or in the immediate vicinity of any person.6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/12-2 – Aggravated Assault It is a Class 4 felony, carrying one to three years in prison.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-45 – Class 4 Felony
No physical contact and no injury are required. The beam landing near a person is enough. The statute also reaches a laser device “used in concert with a firearm,” so a handheld laser pointer waved around alongside a gun falls under the same felony offense.6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 720 ILCS 5/12-2 – Aggravated Assault Sweeping a laser-equipped firearm across a crowd, pointing it during an argument, or “checking” the beam on a passerby is a prison-eligible crime.
Aiming a Laser Pointer at a Peace Officer
Separate from the felony above, Article 24.6 makes it a crime to intentionally or knowingly aim an operating laser pointer at a person you know or reasonably should know is a peace officer. That offense is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.1Justia. Illinois Code Chapter 720 Criminal Offenses – Article 24.6 Laser Pointers8Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-55 – Class A Misdemeanor If the laser is mounted on a firearm, prosecutors can reach for the felony charge instead.
Transporting Through Chicago
Illinois requires that a transported firearm be broken down into a non-functioning state, not immediately accessible, or unloaded and enclosed in a case by someone holding a valid FOID card; a concealed carry licensee may also transport in accordance with that license.9Illinois State Police. Transporting Your Firearm A laser sight on a cased, unloaded firearm does not violate those transport rules.
Chicago is the problem. The laser sight itself is contraband inside the city, even on a firearm you are lawfully transporting under state law, and the vehicle impoundment penalty still applies. If your route runs through Chicago and you don’t qualify for the law enforcement or military exemption, take the device off before you cross into the city, or route around it.
Laser Sights for Hunting
Illinois hunting rules sit outside the criminal code and vary by species. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources allows scopes on legal firearms for deer hunting and does not specifically prohibit laser sights for most game. Coyote hunters can use laser sights and night-vision scopes without restriction.10Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations
Turkey and waterfowl regulations impose tighter equipment rules but don’t name laser sights directly. Because the digest doesn’t spell out every case and the rules are updated each year, check the current season’s digest or your local IDNR office before hunting with a laser-equipped firearm.