When shipping a gun from person to person within Illinois state lines, is it necessary to ship through a ffl dealer?  I have seen it mentioned on a couple of boards that as long as it's within the boundries of Illinois, you can ship from person to person bypassing the ffl.  It would be really nice, but I find it hard to believe.  Especially here in Hellinois.

No.  You can sell a firearm face to face, but you cannot sell and ship a firearm to someone that way.

From Packing.org www.lcav.org/states/illinois.asp#SecondaryPrivateSales

Private firearms transfers (i.e., transfers by non-firearms dealers) are not subject to a background check requirement in Illinois, although federal and state purchaser prohibitions still apply. See the Illinois Background Checks section.

All persons are prohibited by state law from knowingly selling firearms or ammunition to persons who are ineligible to possess a firearm or who do not hold a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card.  720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-3.  Similarly, no person may knowingly transfer any firearm or ammunition unless the transferee displays a valid FOID Card.  430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/3(a). Any person who transfers a firearm also must keep records of all such transfers for a period of 10 years 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/3(b). In addition, all firearms sellers must abide by statutory waiting periods. 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-3(A)(g).

Quoted: From Packing.org www.lcav.org/states/illinois.asp#SecondaryPrivateSales Private firearms transfers (i.e., transfers by non-firearms dealers) are not subject to a background check requirement in Illinois, although federal and state purchaser prohibitions still apply. See the Illinois Background Checks section. All persons are prohibited by state law from knowingly selling firearms or ammunition to persons who are ineligible to possess a firearm or who do not hold a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card.  720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-3.  Similarly, no person may knowingly transfer any firearm or ammunition unless the transferee displays a valid FOID Card.  430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/3(a). Any person who transfers a firearm also must keep records of all such transfers for a period of 10 years 430 Ill. Comp. Stat. 65/3(b). In addition, all firearms sellers must abide by statutory waiting periods. 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/24-3(A)(g).

This isn't completely accurate anymore.  If selling at a gun show, then a backgound check is needed.

The only people that you as a private invididual can ship a gun to (whether in or out of state)

1. Yourself (i.e. if you're traveling you can ship the firearm to yourself at the destination you're going to)

2. A person/business which has a FFL, for purposes of:
-a transfer to another person in that FFL's state
-a sale/transfer to that FFL
-a repair (and then it can be shipped directly back to you w/o having to be transferred thru a local FFL since you already own the gun)