Illinois SP Overstepping Authority by Refusing to Issue FOID Cards to Youths

[scout26]

http://www.isra.org/

Illinois State Police Overstepping Authority by Refusing to Issue FOID Cards to Youthful Applicants

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

Controversy has been raging for several weeks over a proposal promulgated by the Illinois State Police that would set the minimum age of issuance for Illinois Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) cards at 10 years of age.

Outdoor sporting organizations, including the ISRA, oppose the adoption of the provision as it would have an adverse impact on gun safety training and youth shooting programs. On the other hand, gun control groups support the new restriction and see it as yet another means of discouraging participation in the shooting sports.

Approval or denial of the proposed regulation is the responsibility of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). As of the issuance of this press release, only a few days remain in the period during which the public may submit comments to JCAR regarding the proposal. Once the comment period expires, JCAR will consider all comments and will issue a ruling on the proposed age limit some time in the next several months.

Although adoption of such regulations is strictly within the purview of JCAR, an investigation conducted by the ISRA has revealed that Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent unilaterally established a minimum age for FOID applicants and began denying FOID cards to citizens less than 10 years of age as early as May 2007.

"Director Trent has taken it upon himself to nullify the authority of JCAR," commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. "Last May, he issued a declaration to the FOID division staff that directed the denial of FOID cards to applicants less than 10 years of age. Since that time, the State Police have used this bogus age limit as justification to deny over 200 applications. Of course, Trent's edict has not stopped the State Police from cashing application fee checks."

"The ISRA is presently consulting with its legal advisors to identify a means of relief from Trent's illegal actions," continued Pearson. "Without a foundation in law, Trent's age restriction places the State Police in violation of Section 5 of the FOID act which requires that FOID cards be issued within 30 days."

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The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearm ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of over 1.5 million law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.

Yep, unelected Illinois officals making up the rules as they go along......

 

[ilbob]

these are the same jbts that hassled an innocent citizen for complaining to his legislator about a measure before the legislature.

the isp sent several agents to hassle a guy whos "crime" was to be critical of how a legislator voted.

the isp seems to be getting more and more politicized. it needs to stop. we can't have police being used to terrorize people simply because they communicated with their legislator and told him what they thought (in a completely non-threatening way).

the same guys that routinely refuse to obey the 30 day law on foid card issuance.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Oath breakers should be made to account for their actions and ommisions.
I hope the ISRA finds a legal ground to hold feet to the fire. It's a disgrace, really--the high handed and downright fascist mentality that infects and defames the many upstanding members of the law enforcment community in Illinois. This is only one face of a trend that is very disturbing in this state.
It's a rotten deal for the many good police officers that are deserving of respect. But anyway, I digress...I guess I won't bother sending of my kids FOID card aps until this mess is resolved.

 

[scout26]

Neo,

I would send them in now. There could be a big cash settlement in your future and you could be instrumental in putting these petty tyrants in their place (like, i dunno, prison....)

 

[Neo-Luddite]

My wife, very much pro-gun (she is an NRA-lifer, I'm the annual member in the house) would get ticked off at me for making a scene--involing the kids in what she would describe as 'politics'. She'd probably sooner we move to MO and leave this bizarro world of state sponsered lunacy.

 

[Autolycus]

But... the police are our friends. I thought that the police were supposed to remain neutral and not do this kind of stuff. Please... I am asking everyone to no longer support any taxes and anything that benefits LEOs in the state of IL until they do their job correctly and within the law. This is just discrimination on the basis of age.

 

[ProficientRifleman]

Shucks! Immagine that!

This is what happens in a Police State, where a subject has to beg permission from the Policing Authority to exercise a privilege. Said "privilege" might have once been considered a Constitutionally guaranteed Right.

My question is...Why do you Illinoians continue to put up with this?

 

[wdlsguy]

Any chance the ISRA will take up the cause of nonresidents who aren't "employed as an armed security officer at a nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development facility regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission"? That would enable me to carry an unloaded gun in a fanny pack while visiting...

 

[Jeff White]

Any chance the ISRA will take up the cause of nonresidents who aren't "employed as an armed security officer at a nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development facility regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission"? That would enable me to carry an unloaded gun in a fanny pack while visiting...

No chance...it's not an issue. Perhaps you should just stay in Texas until you manage to understand Illinois law. That will ensure you don't get into any legal problems.

Jeff

 

[Neo-Luddite]

That will ensure you don't get into any legal problems

C'mon Jeff--no one can really be certain of that. This *is* Illinois we're talking about. I'm sure lots of folks in Texas got parking tickets in the mail from Chicago this morning; from a city they never have visited, for cars they have never owned, for reasons they won't understand because they don't come from 'over by dere'.

 

[ilbob]

C'mon Jeff--no one can really be certain of that. This *is* Illinois we're talking about. I'm sure lots of folks in Texas got parking tickets in the mail from Chicago this morning; from a city they never have visited, for cars they have never owned, for reasons they won't understand because they don't come from 'over by dere'.

My grandfather got a whole series of parking tickets from Chicago in the mail after he died. Dozens of them.

My mom sent them a letter saying he had died several years before that. No response, just more letters demanding he pay the tickets or else. I am not sure what they could do to a dead guy, but since many dead people vote in Chicago, maybe they could dig him up and put him in jail for failure to pay.

 

[ilbob]

Any chance the ISRA will take up the cause of nonresidents who aren't "employed as an armed security officer at a nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development facility regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission"? That would enable me to carry an unloaded gun in a fanny pack while visiting...

I doubt it. The ISRA mostly cares about hunting. Of late they have been a little more interested in other gun rights issues, but I think that is because they are seeing movement from grass roots organizations and are afraid they might lose some of their turf to the new guys.

Competition is a good thing.

The fanny pack thing is dicey even for residents. There are a fair number of cops who will arrest you even though it is not illegal and a fair number of prosecutors who will charge you even though they know it is not illegal. I do not want to be the next test case.