As we reported over the summer, under a new Illinois law, employers seeking to prohibit individuals from bringing concealed weapons onto their private property are now required to post a sign to that effect at building entrances. In response, the Illinois State Police recently released information about the sign that property owners must post to prevent individuals from carrying concealed handguns on or into their property. Although applications for a Concealed Carry permit will not be available until January 5, 2014, and the first licenses will not likely be issued until 90 days after that, employers that own property and want to ban concealed handguns can now start posting these new signs.

Specifications of Sign

With few exceptions, the approved sign must have a white background and a depiction of a handgun in black ink with a red circle around it and a diagonal slash across the handgun, i.e., the “no firearms” symbol. The symbol must be four inches in diameter, and the entire sign must measure four inches by six inches in size. The approved sign should not contain any text, other than a reference to Section 66 and 65 of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act governing the posting of signs (430 ILCS 66/65). Employers must “clearly and conspicuously” post the sign at the entrance of their properties.

The Illinois State Police template of the approved sign.

Employers can download a template of the approved sign on the Illinois State Police’s Concealed Carry information page.

Exceptions

The Illinois State Police’s proposed administrative rules—that were recently filed with the Illinois Secretary of State—list the following exceptions to these specifications of the approved sign:

1. Owners of properties that fall within one of the Act’s “prohibited areas”—including preschools, secondary schools, universities, and public and private hospitals—can post signs that are larger than four inches by six inches in size. However, a larger sign must include an image of the Illinois State Police’s approved four inch by six inch sign.
2. Owners of properties that fall within one of the Act’s prohibited areas can post larger signs with additional language. However, larger signs with additional language must include an image of the approved four inch by six inch sign.