There have been many changes to Illinois law since the start of the new year. The number of new laws - including laws that have been amended - exceeds 250 and many of them deal with serious criminal charges, traffic violations, and more.

Of course, the law has been talked about the most before and after the new year was the legalization of recreational marijuana. Not only did this law change possession of marijuana charges, but it also annulled several minor possession charges that were committed before 2020.

The New Marijuana Law

The state of Illinois is the 11th state to make recreational marijuana legal. After the first of the year, the state opened several licensed dispensaries where people over the age of 21 can purchase marijuana.

Roadways are becoming more dangerous every year. Especially now entering the winter season, it is important for all drivers to travel safely and obey the rules of the road. Any action on the road that is noncompliant with the law can be considered reckless driving which leads to consequences.

Illinois law says that reckless driving is any act while driving a motor vehicle that blatantly puts others in danger of injury or death. These actions are enforced through traffic citations when police officers observe reckless behavior on the streets.

Examples of Reckless Driving

The law is broad when it comes to determining reckless driving. The simple act of speeding can result in reckless driving charges because if someone is driving too quickly, they can easily collide with another vehicle or a pedestrian.

The state of Illinois has a highly specific law regarding gun ownership and concealed carry rules. Guns are legal to carry as long as the owner has the proper paperwork which gives them the right to carry.

Those who illegally carry a firearm will face misdemeanor charges for first offenses and possible felony charges for subsequent offenses. Illegal gun carriers will also face felony charges if they discharge their weapon resulting in injury or death of a victim.

Requirements for Owning and Carrying a Firearm

There are two types of permits that a person needs in order to legally possess a gun in Illinois. Homeowners who wish to possess a firearm for security purposes only need to apply for a Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID). If a person meets the requirements for the FOID, they can then possess a gun within their home, but cannot carry it out of their home unless it is unloaded and stored inside a proper container.

Credit card fraud can take many different forms, and can even occur by accident. Penalties for being convicted of credit card fraud are serious, and can result in a misdemeanor or felony charge. Four common types of credit card fraud allegations include:

1) Failure to Obtain Consent of Cardholder

A cardholder must authorize use of the card by another person. This authorization can be either written or verbal. A cardholder can also designate an authorized user for their card, by including their name on the credit card account. Once the cardholder has formally authorized someone to use their credit card, the owner is responsible for any charges the authorized user incurs.

Mass shootings occur with alarming regularity in the United States, and the most recent incident, in which a gunman opened fire on a crowd in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, resulted in 58 deaths and 546 injuries. In the aftermath of this tragedy, debate about gun laws and gun control has resumed, and politicians and pundits have brought up a familiar talking point, stating that the city of Chicago has strict gun laws, but also a high rate of homicides. But while this is something that is often asserted, is it actually true?

In order to clear up confusion about this issue and provide some context about the weapons charges people may face, here is some information about the laws concerning gun ownership in Chicago and the state of Illinois:

Weapons Licenses