Dealer Finder
FFL Transfer Dealers in Illinois
Our Dealer Finder lists 770 federally licensed firearms dealers and pawnshops (41 of them pawnbrokers) in Illinois that are likely to handle transfers. The most listings are in Sparta (20), Springfield (19) and Mattoon (11). Listings start from ATF's public license list (October 2026), and shops can claim theirs to add transfer fees, hours and services.
Illinois cities with FFL dealers
- Amboy (3)
- Anna (5)
- Antioch (4)
- Arlington Heights (3)
- Bartonville (3)
- Belleville (6)
- Belvidere (5)
- Bloomington (3)
- Bolingbrook (5)
- Bourbonnais (3)
- Canton (3)
- Carbondale (4)
- Carrollton (3)
- Centralia (4)
- Charleston (3)
- Chatham (4)
- Clinton (4)
- Collinsville (6)
- Columbia (4)
- Crystal Lake (5)
- Danville (5)
- Decatur (6)
- Dixon (3)
- Downers Grove (3)
- Du Quoin (3)
- East Peoria (4)
- Edwardsville (4)
- Effingham (4)
- Galesburg (4)
- Geneseo (6)
- Geneva (3)
- Greenville (4)
- Gurnee (3)
- Harrisburg (4)
- Harvard (3)
- Highland (4)
- Homer Glen (3)
- Jacksonville (10)
- Lake Villa (3)
- Lincoln (5)
- Lombard (4)
- Loves Park (3)
- Macomb (4)
- Marengo (3)
- Marion (10)
- Marseilles (3)
- Marshall (3)
- Mattoon (11)
- McHenry (3)
- Mendota (3)
- Milan (3)
- Millstadt (6)
- Minooka (3)
- Morris (3)
- Mount Vernon (7)
- MT Sterling (4)
- Naperville (4)
- Olney (4)
- Oswego (4)
- Ottawa (6)
- Pekin (3)
- Peoria (10)
- Pinckneyville (4)
- Plainfield (3)
- Plano (3)
- Princeville (3)
- Quincy (10)
- Robinson (4)
- Rochelle (3)
- Rock Falls (3)
- Salem (6)
- Sparta (20)
- Springfield (19)
- Taylorville (5)
- Urbana (3)
- Vandalia (4)
- Waterloo (3)
- Watseka (3)
Plus 406 listings in smaller towns. Search by ZIP above to find the ones near you.
Buying a gun in Illinois: good to know
- Waiting period
- 72 hours for all firearms.
- Handgun purchase permit
- Yes. Buyers need a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card.
- Shipping and online purchases
- Ammunition sellers generally ask for a copy of the buyer's FOID card (and/or CCL) before shipping. Magazines over 10 rounds (long guns) or 15 rounds (handguns), and rifles and parts listed under PICA, can't be sold to IL buyers. Chicago and Cook County have additional bans.
How an FFL transfer works
When you buy a gun online or from someone in another state, it ships to a local licensed dealer (an FFL) instead of your door. The dealer logs it in, you fill out ATF Form 4473 and pass the background check, and then you take it home. Dealers charge a transfer fee for this, often $20 to $75. Call first: ask whether they accept transfers from your seller, what the fee is, and whether they need the seller to email a copy of their license.