I’m not a lawyer, but federally it is legal for someone 18 or over to possess a pistol (if memory serves, it is 18 USC 922 (x)). They can acquire a gun in any legal way (gift, FTF purchase, etc depending on local law) but just can’t transfer a pistol
from a FFL until they are 21.
Unfortunately I can’t help with IL or MO law, but definitely check.
Check on IL and MO transport laws as well. Interstate transport would probably be covered by FOPA, but her traveling within MO while she’s at school may be different.
For example, Alabama previously had a law that said you can’t have a gun in your vehicle unless you are doing something like going to the range, a gun store, or a number of other places specifically named in law (note this didn’t apply if you had a CCW permit). That means it would have been a questionably legal to just store a gun in the trunk of a car (unless you were always headed to a gun store
)
I bought my first pistol when I was 18 and noticed a few things that might be good to think about.
First, buying ammo can be touchy. You’ll probably need to buy ammo for your daughter.
There are a LOT of people who think it’s illegal for anyone under 21 to possess a pistol. And these people are sometimes at gun stores or are cops. While they’re wrong (federally, check the state laws of course) they can make your daughter’s life more difficult than it needs to be.
I have too many stories of the issues, but i eventually started carrying around a binder with highlighted copies of federal and Alabama code, as well as ATF determination letters, just in case I ever needed to argue that what I was doing was legal. Sadly, I had to use it several times.
Overall it’s much easier if people either don’t know she has a gun, or don’t know her age. Being a girl might help a bit because she can always go with the line “it’s impolite to ask a woman’s age”.
Finally, I don’t know if she cares about carrying, but there are several states that will issue non-resident CCW permits with a minimum age of 18 (rather than 21). Several can be done without having to be physically in the state or taking a state specific course. My life got a lot easier when someone would question if it was legal for me to have my pistol and I could say “of course it is! And here, let me show you my THREE concealed weapons permits”
Another benefit is that sometimes reciprocity works depending on state law, so even if your daughter can’t carry in IL on those permits, she might be able to carry in other states.