Coronavirus Fears Send Record Numbers To Illinois Gun Stores

In Illinois, the waiting period when purchasing a firearm is 72 hours. During the new coronavirus pandemic, local gun stores and ranges are seeing an increase in customers, but also an increase in how long it is taking the state to approve the individual buyer to be able to pick up the firearm they purchased.

Brian McNichols owns MMI Guns in Minooka. He has been in the Minooka location for five-and-a-half years and in the firearms business for 20. He is the busiest he's ever been right now, he said. And,many of his customers are first-time gun owners.

Unfortunately, he cannot deliver the products customers are ordering.

Don't miss updates about precautions in the Chicago area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

IL Coronavirus 'Stay At Home' Order Issued As Death Toll Hits 5

"If you are delayed on a background check, a human in Springfield has to look at your file and find out why it is delayed," he said. "Right now, we have people who have been waiting on background checks for six days."

In order to legally own a gun in Illinois, you must have an active Firearm Owners Identification Card. Even with that card, when you go to purchase a gun, there is a 72-hour hold between purchase and pick up. In that time, a state employee in Springfield must approve the purchase.

"Normally we would have an approval back within a day or two," McNichols said. "We can sell them, but we cannot deliver them.

"Right now, we have people who have been waiting since (March) 13th."

That extended waiting period is being experienced throughout Illinois.

Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois Executive Director Todd Vandermyde told the Center Squarethat gun store owners tell him there's a run on guns and ammunition. But he said he's also hearing of delays in customers taking ownership of their purchased firearms because of a backlog at Illinois State Police processing firearm transfer requests.

"You've got dealers who won't release the firearm without the completion of a background check with an approval and so people are now waiting four, five, six, seven days, even," Vandermyde said.

The higher volume of customers in the gun business is echoed at Eagle Sports Range in Tinley Park. Although the business did answer the phone, they said they were so busy they would be unable to find someone to speak with us at Patch.

Shoot Point Blank has locations in Shorewood, Naperville, Mokena and Hodgkins. The outgoing answering machine message explains that they will not be answering the phone.

“We are currently open, but unable to answer phones due to high traffic,” it states. “In order to provide the best customer experience, we are focusing on customers that are in our store.”

The free Introduction to Firearms class that is scheduled for April 4 is also showing as full on the Shoot Point Blank website.

Mega Sports in Plainfield is also not answering phone calls, but they do not have any outgoing messages. Instead, their information is on a blog on the website.

“To our customers, Mega Sports would like to thank all of our customers for your patience during this time. In an effort to protect you and our staff, please follow these guidelines:

• Our free-range orientation class is canceled until further notice
• Only FOID card holders, over 18 years of age, will be allowed in the store

It also includes details of store hours and an announcement that there will be a maximum of 10 people allowed in the sales area at any given time.

The Range at 355 similarly has postponed all upcoming classes. Its website urges phone customers that wait times are long, but that they will answer the phone. After 12 minutes of ringing, our phone call was not answered.

The Range at 355 also details on its website that it will be operating at half capacity and spacing out customers.

For his part, McNichols is not planning to close his doors unless he is told he has to.

"I have clients that have paid products that can not pick them up unless I am here," he said.

He believes that he is fulfilling a need in the community for individuals to be able to defend their homes and person.

"In my opinion, I am an essential service," he said.