[Raseac]

Hello, glad I found these forums. =)

I have a question that has been perplexing me for almost a month.

Almost a year ago now, my stepfather passed away. He was a resident of Illinois, which requires all firearm owners to have an ID in order to legally possess a firearm. I always presumed that this was a form of registration - it may be, and I am merely unaware, but it's beside the point.

My mother recently told me that she was giving me one of his firearms as a form of inheritance, since he and I often would go out target shooting with the weapon (an SKS).

Since I moved to Pennsylvania, I never even considered owning a firearm. Now that I am having one given to me from my mother, how should I go about legally possessing the firearm?

It is expected that I pick up the weapon the next time me and my family visit. From what I've read, it appears that I'd be allowed to retrieve the weapon, carry it (safely and in compliance with transportation of firearms laws) in the vehicle back home, and even stow it away in my home - without any requirement to let any government department (state or federal) know that I now possess the weapon. Is this correct?

My concern is, if the weapon is ever stolen, how will they know it belonged to me, and not my stepfather? I understand that if needed, they could always contact my mother...but once she passes away?

Can the weapon be considered an inherited item from a family member, even if it was my stepfather's, and it is my mother who is giving ownership of the weapon to me (in his place)?

What, if any, procedures should I take to ensure I possess the weapon legally?