New Hunting tax: Illinois legislators are proposing a new tax on hunters and firearm enthusiasts in Illinois.

Starting Jan 1, 2027 Illinois firearms owners, hunters, and marksmen will pay a five cent tax per round of ammunition tax under HB4414. Plus, there will be a new requirement that each round of ammunition be registered with a serial number.

That trip to the shooting range or hunting trip will soon get very expensive and very complicated.

Illinois House Bill 4414 mandates that starting January 1, 2027, all handgun ammunition sold or possessed in Illinois must be serialized and traceable by the Illinois State Police (ISP).

In Illinois, the ammunition tax includes a $25.00 tax on each firearm purchased and a $0.05 per cartridge tax on centerfire ammunition and $0.01 per cartridge tax on rimfire ammunition. This tax was reinstated after a court ruling deemed the previous tax unconstitutional, and the revenue is allocated to gun violence prevention programs. Additionally, starting January 1, 2027, all handgun ammunition must be serialized, and possession of non-serialized ammunition in public places could result in penalties. Retailers are required to register and comply with the tax collection requirements to avoid penalties.

The bill was just introduced by Chicago area State Representative Anne Stava-Murray (D – Downers Grove). Democrats support the bill.

The bill will create a centralized registry for transactions, imposes a fee of up to 5 cents per round, and makes possession of non-serialized ammunition a misdemeanor.

HB4414 includes:

Serialization Requirement: All handgun ammunition manufactured, imported, or sold in Illinois must have unique identifiers on the packaging and the ammunition itself starting Jan. 1, 2027.

Registry and Tracking: The ISP will manage a database of handgun ammunition transactions, recording the buyer’s identification and the unique identifier of the ammunition.

Fees: A fee of up to 5 cents per round will be charged to the end-user the money will go to the state of Illinois.

Huge Penalties: the law would make Possessing non-serialized handgun ammunition in a public place a Class C misdemeanor.

Exceptions: Exemptions apply to law enforcement, military, and specific authorized individuals

The bill is designed for the ISP to track ammunition transactions.

Revenue from the five cent per round tax would go to the state of Illinois.