by Attorney Eric D. PuryearThe Illinois crime of Armed Habitual Criminal is defined by 720 ILCS 5/24-1.7 as follows:
(a) A person commits the offense of being an armed habitual criminal if he or she receives, sells, possesses, or transfers any firearm after having been convicted a total of 2 or more times of any combination of the following offenses:
(1) a forcible felony as defined in Section 2-8 of this Code;(2) unlawful use of a weapon by a felon; aggravated unlawful use of a weapon; aggravated discharge of a firearm; vehicular hijacking; aggravated vehicular hijacking; aggravated battery of a child as described in Section 12-4.3 or subdivision (b)(1) of Section 12-3.05; intimidation; aggravated intimidation; gunrunning; home invasion; or aggravated battery with a firearm as described in Section 12-4.2 or subdivision (e)(1), (e)(2), (e)(3), or (e)(4) of Section 12-3.05; or
(3) any violation of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act or the Cannabis Control Act that is punishable as a Class 3 felony or higher.
The crime of being an Armed Habitual Criminal in Illinois is a Class X felony, which can result in a prison term of 6-15 years.
A person who is charged with being an Armed Habitual Criminal under Illinois law are wise to seek an attorney at once, as it is important to handle such a serious charge carefully.