FOID Card?

[David4516]

http://www.isp.state.il.us/foid/firearmsfaq.cfm

Wow, I never realized that Illinois had such a law. Makes me glad I live in Oregon...

So whats the deal with this FOID thing? Is there any point to it? I looked at the application and the questions look just like the questions on the criminal background check that you have to fill out anyway...

Looks like it's a "gun tax" to me...

Also, if I read that correctly, if you're an 18 year old and you want to buy a rifle, you need your parents consent? :banghead:

 

[Soybomb]

You also need it to buy ammo. Its a waste of time and money thats about it.

 

[Hollywood_Heat]

There's probably alot you don't know about Illinois gun statutes. Look up local laws, you'll really go :banghead:

The FOID's been around since about 1968 or so. It's only $5 to apply for one so it isn't too much of a financial burden. I think it's good for four years. Basically it states that the State Police grant you, and Illinois resident, permission to own firearms and ammunition. And we have a 2nd Amendement in our Constitution.:banghead: I don't see much use to it. How many criminals do you think have a FOID? I bet the same percentage that do the waiting period and the background check. Can't convince a Chicago lawmaker that though. I think having a FOID should exempt you from a background check and answering the questions on the white "yellow" form, but I'm not in charge. I think the FOID is pretty silly but I'll only have to deal with it a few more years until I can make my break outta Illinois and you can bet I won't be looking back.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Maybe Illinois needs a special form to fill out and background check and fee before people can buy books and magazines. I'm sure the leftist extremists would understand, right? To protect children from pornography, and so forth?

 

[PILMAN]

My dad got screwed over during a bust for a expired FOID card. I hated Illinois thank god I live in Florida now.

 

[isp2605]

The FOID law was passed in 1968. Cost is $5 for 5 yrs. $3 goes to conservation, $2 goes to administering and issuing the card.

 

[Sistema1927]

When is Illinois going to start issuing BOID's or COID's* (Same principle as an FOID.)



* BOID - Bible Owner Identification Card
COID - Constitution Owner Identification Card

Blasted freedom haters.

 

[PCRit]

I was born/raised in IL and "escaped" 20+ years ago. I had the FOID card when I was there and, for the life of me, I can't understand why no one (NRA, RKBA, GOA?) has sued the state for the FOID card being unconstitutional. Maybe some groups did in the past, but it should be a continuous fight in the courts until it gets kicked up to the Federal appellate level and to the SCOTUS.

No other state has such a blatant, in your face, anti-2nd Amendment law on the books. I just don't understand:banghead:

 

[iamkris]

The FOID card is 1) a hassle/barrier/speedbump/feel-good/roadblock for legal and responsible gun ownership. It does nothing to prevent crime. Idealistic and naive lawmakers think it will actually allow IL to let only law abiding persons own firearms. The realists know it only becomes a barrier and thus an incremental gun ban 2) It is one more instrument to harrass and arrest those who forget to renew or are ignorant of the law. Thus, it again acts as an incremental gun ban.

Our enemies in the fight for gun-owership are not stupid...they know that these type of laws 1) appeal to the ignorant and 2) slowly work to take our population of gun owners down.

Lesson -- be politically active, teach young-uns to shoot.

 

[Onmilo]

Be it as it may,,,,
We are stuck with the good old gun card here until somebody with some sense comes into a position of power and wants to devote the time, money and energy to have the FOID system shut down.
It is our license to operate a dangerous, should be outlawed, bangy thingy.

 

[geekWithA.45]

The FOID is pretty much the worst of the "ID Cards" that came out in GFW states during the late 60's, because they expire periodically.

IIRC, the only other state that has cards that expire is MA.

NJ's FID is similiar, but it's valid for life.

The _original_ purpose behind these things in pre-nics days was certification that a background check had been performed, and that the bearer was not a prohibited person. In these days of NICS, they are entirely redundant.

Their ulterior motive is simple and effective: they create a barrier to participation. People who'd otherwise pass NICS and tuck a shottie into a closet "just in case" wind up not wanting to deal with the paperwork and fingerprinting, and so, they go without.

Over the years, it's been devestatingly effective, at least in NJ. According to Lott's state figures, the states with FID schemes have the lowest gun ownership rates. IL, incidentally, is the exception to this rule. Flipside, CT has no such requirement, and gun ownership rates in that state are low too.

I'm going to have to do a more thorough look at this issue, and pull together some figures cross referencing ownership rates against FID/FOIDish schemes.


Fortunately, the existence of NICS means that it is highly unlikely that new states would institute a FID scheme. They appear to be primarily remnants of the moral panic of the late 60's.

As for court challenges, I've not read up on them in detail in IL, but IIRC, the IL state constitution has weasel words in it, "subject to the power of police" or some such. IIRC, their court found the FOID to be consistent with the weasel words. As for Federal challenge, as we all know, the courts have never taken notice of 14th amendment "incorporation to the states" of the 2nd, and so the previous courts have stayed as far away from a 2A case as they can get.

I think, now, with "Machine gun Sammy" on the bench, we _just_might_ have a shot at getting a good 2A case.

Incidentally, the rumors I've heard is that one of the reasons SCOTUS hasn't taken a 2A case is because they knew that they didn't have the votes, and didn't want to setup a bad precedent that would live for a century or so.